Tales of a Traveller
by Moonlit Dreaming
Summary: Having left Forget - Me - Not Valley, Nami meets a fellow traveller, the rejected Cliff. After much persuasion, she agrees to let him travel with her, but it turns out to have a massive consequences. COMPLETE.
1. The Inner Inn

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harvest Moon._

_**Author's notes**: Well, here it is, the first chapter of the sequel to **The Ups and Downs of being Ann**! As I'm sure you've guessed from the summary, it's all about Nami, which I hope is okay with everyone._

_IMPORTANT: In the game, AWL, the farmer character always arrives at the start of a year, but in this story he'll arrive at the beginning of fall instead. That's mainly because the story starts during the spring and the timeline of it wouldn't work otherwise. In chapter 12 of **The Ups and Downs of Being Ann**, Ann and Cliff visit Forget-Me-Not Valley during the summer and are told that the local farm is unocupied. They also meet Nami, so she was already there. To give you an idea of how the sequel will fit into the timeline of the previous story; Nami arrives in the spring, Ann and Cliff visit that summer and then the farmer character arrives in the fall. Erm...I hope that makes sense to everyone!_

* * *

The Inner Inn

Rain was thrashing down onto the streets of Forget-Me-Not Valley as a red headed girl of around twenty struggled towards a large, two story building. _Spring weather,_ she thought, _always unpredictable!_ Ducking under the shelter of the building and reading the sign by the door she noticed, to her great delight, that she had stumbled upon an Inn. The very thing she had been searching for.

Inside a large foyer, a plump man with black hair and dark beady eyes looked up from behind the reception desk as the door to the Inn was thrown open, and young woman walked inside. Her hair was cut short and was a deep shade of red similar to the colour of autumn leaves. Most noticeable, however, were her wide, pale-blue eyes. She threw her hair back out of her face, sending droplets of water flying everywhere and approached the reception desk slightly warily.

"Welcome to the Inner Inn. Can I help you?" the plump man asked, eyeing her suitcase hopefully.

"Yes, you can actually," she replied. "I'm looking for a room." The man's eyes lit up instantly. "Got any vacancies?" she added, suspecting from his eagerness that he did. Looking around her, the girl noticed that the room had a very exotic feel. There were plants in every possible corner and many odd looking statues had been placed in the room. As a traveller she could tell they'd all, almost certainly, come from numerous different countries. She wondered if the man behind the counter had actually been to all these places to buy the statues. _If so, he must he must have some very impressive stories to tell,_ she thought.

"Of course we have rooms, of course!" he answered enthusiastically . He grabbed a pen and pulled a thick notebook in front of him. "Right, for how many nights will you be staying with us for, Miss...?"

"Waters. Nami Waters. And I'd say probably a few weeks. No more than that," she told him.

"That's fine. I'm Tim by the way. Oh...and this is my beautiful wife Ruby," he said, suddenly smiling over at the doorway to the right of the room.

Nami followed his glance and noticed that a short, friendly looking woman with a bob of black hair and a pair of warm brown eyes had appeared in the doorway. Judging from the heavenly smell that had now filled the foyer she could only assume that the room was some sort of kitchen. It was only then that Nami realised how hungry she was. Not suprising, really, considering her long journey, which had included a ferry ride to Mineral Town. Then, she'd been forced to trek over a rocky, formiddable mountain just to reach the Valley.

Ruby beamed at Nami as though she was an old friend. "Dinner should be ready in about an hour, okay? Could you warn Rock, Tim?" she said. Nami noted how soft and sweet her voice was, and decided that she quite liked Ruby - not something she often decided on first meeting someone. "Rock is our son, by the way," Ruby added, smiling at Nami. "He's about your age I'd say. I'm sure you two will get along nicely." Nami wasn't too sure about this as she couldn't exactly say she was very good at meeting people. She nodded curtly, however.

Once Ruby had gone back to the kitchen Tim led Nami upstairs to her room. On the second storey Nami noticed that there were only two doors leading off the main hallway, and that there was an ancient wooden pole in one corner. For a moment, she considered asking Tim about it, but then decided against it as he seemed like a man who could really talk.

"The door on the right is Rock's bedroom. You'll be able to meet him at dinner. He can never resist Ruby's food!" Tim explained proudly. "Neither can I for that matter, as she's such a great cook. But I'm sure you'll find that out for yourself." Nami nodded once again. She was so hungry she could hardly wait.

Tim opened the door on the left exposing Nami's room. She could barely stifle a gasp. This was just possibly the most beautiful room she had ever stayed in. And she'd stayed in _a lot_ of rooms.

Firstly, Nami noticed two imaculate beds pushed up against the nearest wall. Those snow white sheets looked so tempting to her as she felt so very tired. There were more plants to be found in this room, very similar to the ones in the foyer. Against the opposite wall was a chest of drawers and on top of that a vase of deep pink spring flowers. She thought back to the last Inn she had stayed in, on the mainland. You would be lucky to get a bed that didn't have someone else's blood smeared on it there, let alone get a vase of flowers in your room! Tim grinned widely at the look on Nami's face and showed her that the room also came with a small balcony which overlooked the front of the Inn.

It had finally stopped raining so Nami stepped through the elegant glass doors and peered down at the undeniably gorgeous main street of the village. The air was so cold it felt like a moist flannel had been pressed against her face. The buildings and roads glistened with rain. The sky was mainly pure white, but patches of brilliant blue had started to appear. Looking up and down Nami noticed that the whole street was completely deserted. _Shame,_ she thought, _when the rain leaves things looking this fresh and beautiful._

"I'll leave you to it then," called Tim. "Dinner's at six, okay?"

* * *

Retiring to her room at long last, Nami flopped down on the nearest bed. It was only half past eight, but it had been a very long day and Nami felt weighed down by Ruby's rich cooking. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten so much. 

Tim was right and Nami had been greatly impressed by Ruby's amazing cooking skills. She could still taste that delicious stew even now. Tim had told her - in great detail - all about his and Ruby's travels around the world, and she'd met their son Rock.

Nami had to admit she didn't know if it could really be called a pleasure or not. Rock was _nice_ enough, sure, but he just seemed a bit too...eager? He seemed to Nami like the type who'd flirt with anything that moved, including her by the seems of it. Also, he looked absolutely nothing like his parents whatsoever, which surprised her slightly.

_Perhaps he's adopted?_ Nami wondered curiously as she lay in her darkened room, _Or maybe I'm just looking into things too much._

It was a common problem for her, thinking too deeply about things. At least it used to be when she was younger and much more naive. It usually led to all sorts of problems and misunderstandings with the locals of whatever town she was staying in at the time. If she offended anyone by opening her mouth without thinking, she'd usually just move on to somewhere else, it was that simple. Now, never stopping in one place for too long had become a bit of a habit, even though she didn't ever get in trouble with the locals anymore because she'd learned to keep to herself.

Forget-Me-Not Valley seemed to be a quaint little town though...maybe this could be the place she'd settle in for good.

But then, as she turned over trying to get to sleep, Nami just thought, No way. After all, what were the chances of finding a beautiful village _complete_ with equally lovely and welcoming inhabitants?

Hmm, well, what had experience taught her?

Oh yeah! The chances of that were absolutely _nil_.

In short, Forget-Me-Not Valley would be just another place to sweep in and out of her life and then fade slowly into the background. That was just routine. It would be the same for the people she met. Some would like her, some wouldn't, some would even offer to keep in touch; but in the end they'd all disappear and it'd be as though they'd never met...

Well that was life, though, wasn't it? And after all she chose it, so who was she to complain?

* * *

_A/n - Very short, I know! But it's just the opening, setting the scene - type chapter and I can promise that the others will be much longer than this. Thanks for reading and please review! Thanks!_


	2. Unexpected Friendships

_**Disclaimer-** I don't own Harvest Moon._

_**Author's note-** First can I just say sorry for taking so long to write this chapter. I don't have any real excuses for it, other than the fact that the absence of school seems to have turned my brain into mulch! Anyway, the chapter is finally finished and I'm reasonably pleased with it, so I hope everyone enjoys it too. Oh, and much thanks goes to my reviewers: Vadraxia, Chicken Yuki, KCemployee, Awesome Rapidash and Ekoaleko. Thanks again!_

* * *

Unexpected Friendships

It had only been a few weeks since Nami's arrival in Forget-Me-Not Valley and already she'd seen everything it had to offer. That was pretty strange for her as usually it took her a while to get to know the in's and out's of her current surroundings.

She had also managed to meet the entire population of the Valley in just a day or two, but, that said, there wasn't exactly that many people to get to know.

And her opinion of them? Truthfully?

Well, much to Nami's shock and amazement the residents were not actually all that bad. Okay, so it was a bit of a mixed-bag, but that was true of any community you'd ever come across. Besides, they were definitely very 'interesting' people to say the least...

The weather, too, had improved greatly since the wind and rain that heralded Nami's arrival, and now the Valley was bathed in bright, spring sunshine most days, usually with a pleasant breeze to accompany it.

However, in Nami's opinion the best part of the Valley by far was how deliciously casual life was. She just loved the freedom of being able to get up when she wanted, go where she wanted and do just what she felt like for as long as she fancied. It wasn't like anything she'd ever experienced before. And then of course there was Ruby's cooking. Well, that alone made it worth staying in the Valley! In all seriousness it was the best food she'd ever tasted. Though actually now she thought about it, Nami realised there wasn't all that much competition. The food at her last Inn (the one with the blood smeared beds) was as different from Ruby's as possible. _And_ the owner charged ridiculous amounts of money for it. Needless to say, she didn't stay there very long.

As Spring slowly continued torwards the Summer, the weather began to steadily improve. It was sunny most days now, but when the rain did hit the Valley it was merciless and much heavier than it had been before.

Nami wasn't too bothered though; she was used to travelling in all sorts. Besides, the occasional downpours weren't without their plus points, as Rock would rarely venture out in heavy rain. It was damaging to his hair, or so he informed Nami relentlessly, on one of the many, _many_ times he'd insisted on accompanying her on her wanderings. He seemed to think she wouldn't possibly manage find her way around the village, which was further evidence of what a flirt he could be. He wasn't exactly an annoying person, it was just that Nami wasn't really used to someone showing such an interest in her. It was bad enough with Ruby fretting constantly that she didn't eat properly or that she was too thin, but Rock as well? And it was all rather pointless too, as she'd soon be leaving the Valley and the bleak reality was that they'd most likely never meet again.

* * *

Spring was starting to merge into a warm, dry Summer at what Nami considered to be an alarming rate. She wished Spring could last just a _little_ bit longer, but knew that the more she wished for it, the faster time would seem to pass. 

Nami mused about this as she sat by the Turtle Pond one particularly hot morning. Rock wasn't with her for once because he was doing something Top Secret. Or so he thought, anyway.

As it was, Nami knew exactly what he was up to thanks to some inside information from Ruby. He was dying his hair. Hardly thrilling or exciting news at all really, but it did explain why he looked so unlike his parents. She guessed that as his normal brunette the family actually looked quite similar.

Stretching in a cat-like manner, the red-head glanced about her current surroundings. The sky above her was a pure, almost cloudless blue and much to her annoyance the trees nearby weren't providing a great deal of shade from the glare of the sun. Deciding to make the best out of a bad situation, Nami produced a small, black notepad from her backpack.

She glanced around in search of inspiration and her blue eyes fell upon the beach nearby. Even though it was still Spring - well, late Spring - it looked almost tropical in the bright sunlight. In a flash, she whipped out a pencil and began sketching. Her hands moved quickly across the page forming currently unrecogniseable shapes, but she knew they'd fall into place soon enough. Barely any attention was paid to what was going on around her, she just focused entirely on the beach and it's clean, golden sand.

As engrossed as she was, Nami became almost completely oblivious to the sudden flurry of noise and movement nearby. It was only when a shadow fell over the page that she whirled around, snapping her notepad closed almost defensively.

In return, she got a sheepish smile from the local farmhand, Celia, who was now stood frozen with a bunch of Goddess Drops clutched in her hand. "Oh - er, hello," she stuttered, looking slightly nervous. "I'm just collecting flowers for the house, y'know. Vesta loves them, almost as much as I do - and I can tell you that that's really saying something! Personally, I think Marlin likes them too, but of course he'll never admit it - " Celia chuckled to herself in very childlike manner, before seeming to realise that Nami hadn't breathed a word so far. "It's, erm - Nami, isn't it?" she asked, in a poorly concealed attempt at conversation.

Nami could only nod; she barely knew the girl. The extent of their previous conversations were always a hurried 'hello', or perhaps a casual comment on the weather - and that was at the most. Oddly though, Celia always seemed to have a lot to say about the weather. She reguarly overheard the young brunette coming out with things like, "This rain'll do the crops the world of good' or 'The flowers'll dry up in this heat!". It was always about the plants with her.

"Hey, have you seen any Toy Flowers around here?" Celia asked suddenly, frowning as she glanced around. "I've got plenty of Goddess Drops to take back home, but no Toy Flowers."

Nami shrugged, feeling baffled. "I've no idea what those are. Sorry."

At her words Celia's nervousness seemed to vanish and she edged nearer, looking delighted at the prospect of talking about her beloved plants. Apparently, she'd decided that Nami was harmless - though how she'd come to that conclusion from such an abrupt statement was anyone's guess.

"Well," she explained excitedly, flopping onto the ground, "they're quite small and yellow and they grow in big clumps. You'd think they'd be easy to spot - wouldn't you? - but I haven't seen any in ages - "

"You should find some round by the artist's place," Nami interrupted, realising exactly what Celia was talking about. She'd seen plants of that description many times on her travels around the village, she'd just never known what they were. "The caravan, you know? I'm not really sure of the guy's name, we don't really speak much." That was an understatement, all right. They'd never spoken _at all_. In fact, Nami only knew he was an artist because Rock had told her so.

She waited patiently for Celia to thank her and run off in search of the flowers, but her newly accquired companion didn't budge. Instead she sat still, examining the pale pink flowers clutched in her right hand. "The artist's name is Cody," she informed Nami after a brief silence. "I'm surprised you've not made friends with him actually."

There was a pause. Nami felt that if there was something she should have grasped, it had passed her by completely.

"With you both being artists, I mean," Celia elaborated. If this was supposed to clarify anything, Nami wasn't sure what exactly. Since when had she been an artist?

"I saw you drawing," Celia continued when there was no reply. She sounded almost apologetic; perhaps remembering Nami's protectiveness over her notepad. "What do you draw anyway? Could I have a look?"

Nami instantly hedged. "It's kind of private actually." Her statement came out a lot fiercer than she first intended, but nevertheless got the required result.

Standing up slowly, Celia looked torn between hurt and annoyance. It only lasted a moment though, as she seemed to shrug it off pretty easily. "That's okay. Thanks for your help...I guess."

Watching her bound away down the slope, Nami noticed that Celia did look a little frail despite her cheery demeanor. A twinge of guilt rushed through her as she packed up her things, but it was pushed to the back of her mind with almost frightening ease.

None of it really mattered though, Nami assured herself quickly, while making her slow journey back to the Inn. She'd be soon be gone from the Valley, so what was the point in trying to get along with people? Trying to make friends?

No, what she needed was to move on promptly. This place was beautiful - there was no doubt about it - and the people were mostly friendly too, but not in a way she'd experienced before. Everyone knew everyone here and while that did seem oddly attractive, it was also very overwhelming. She could barely even cotemplate everyone else knowing _her_. It would be way too much pressure.

As she reached the Inner Inn, Nami turned abruptly and looked down at the Valley spread out before her. It really was stunning, she decided, a rare smile curving on her lips. Then, she caught sight of Gustafa, the local hippie - he was tuning his guitar outside his multicoloured, rainbow yurt. Various little creatures, from rabbits to raccoons, were starting to flock to him to listen, which caused an even rarer chuckle to rise up in Nami's throat. It just about summed him up, she decided, before turning to walk inside.

There was a small clock on the wall just inside the foyer, which she glanced at upon entrance.

_Excellent._ Plenty of time to burst in on Rock's 'secret' hair dying mission before lunch...

* * *

The rest of Spring passed relatively uneventfully. Rock wasn't exactly happy at Nami discovering his true hair colour, but he cheered up considerably when she asked him what one thing she could do to make it up to him. 

So, against her better judgement she agreed to have a Milk Drinking Contest with Rock on the first day of Summer. The reason why anyone would choose to do this was beyond Nami, but she'd decided it was best not to ask Rock where he had got the idea for such a thing. The answer would probably just confuse her anyway.

"We're going to be sick, aren't we?" Nami asked dully as she trailed into the kitchen that particular morning. It was more of a statement really. She turned to Rock, eyebrows raised dubiously.

At first he just winked at her, but then wilted under her fierce gaze. "Well, probably. It's happened to me many times - " He grinned widely as Nami pulled a digusted face. " - But I find that no matter how much you vomit, the amazing feeling of success will always outweigh it."

"And what if you lose?"

Rock paused, frowning. "That's never happened to me. I _always_ win!"

Ordinarily, a boast like this would have brought out her competative streak, but a Milking Drinking Contest? Well, that really was the limit. Putting her glass down, Nami tried to make a quick exit. "This is ridiculous," she announced, half-way to the door.

"Wait!" Rock wailed, rushing after her. "You owe me, remember?"

Nami sighed in exasperation. "Its your own fault for keeping secrets," she argued. Then, while he stared at her in awe, she ran for it, taking the stairs two at a time. Moments later, just as she expected, there was a loud bang on her door. "Go _away_ Rock! I'm not having that stupid contest with you, so just forget about it!"

It made no difference what Nami said really: he still barged in regardless. She turned up the old radio very pointedly, so that the reptetative thump of rock music made the rough wood floor shake and rattle. Rock just ignored it all and sat down on the spare bed, two full glasses of milk in his hands.

He really doesn't give up, Nami decided more out of amusement than anger now. She went over and sat next to him, taking the glass in a sort of silent agreement that she would take part in this ridiculous game. Rock's face was once again lit with a smile. "I knew you'd come round," he said.

At this Nami arched an eyebrow, but said nothing. The thought that someone could predict her was almost laughable. She turned her attention back to the milk and frowned, "Are you sure this is safe to drink, Rock? It doesn't look very good..."

"Well, we get it shipped from either the mainland or Mineral Town at the moment because of our own farm being deserted. I guess that's why the milk isn't always such good quality. 'Cause it has such a long way to travel, you know." He looked oddly thoughtful for a moment. "Actually, I did hear a rumour - from Muffy -"

At this Nami's eyes rolled because she hardly considered Muffy, of all people, to be the most reliable source. Rock didn't seem to notice however, as his own eyes had become distinctly glazed at the thought of the curveous, blonde barmaid. It took him at least a minute to get over that image and only then because Nami had nudged him painfully in the ribs. Twice.

"Er - anyway," Rock continued hurriedly, massaging his side. "I think someone bought the farm with Takakura a while back, but the other guy died. So now, apparently, his son from the city is coming to run the farm instead. According to Muffy he'll be arriving around the first of Fall, so that's about a season away. But still, it'll be cool, don't you think, having somebody new around?"

Nami nodded quickly, then looked away. She focused intead on looking out through the glass doors and across the balcony. It was lovely, sunny day, she noted dully, and already far too hot for her liking. She tried hard not to sigh, knowing full well that by the time this new farmer arrived she'd be long gone; she'd lingered here far too long already. And it was strange, but hearing Rock get excited about something she would never be part of was actually quite depressing.

And odder _still,_ he even managed to pick up on her mood. "You okay?" Rock asked her quietly.

Again Nami nodded. "Yeah, of course," she replied in an even quieter voice than had Rock used. Then, she came to her senses and stood up, saying more forcefully, "I just won't be around when this new guy arrives, that's all."

"Why? Were will you be?" Rock asked, looking confused as though he couldn't imagine why anyone would want to leave the Valley.

Nami could tell - before she even began to answer - that he wouldn't understand, but nevertheless she made an attempt. "I've got to move on, y'know. It's what I do."

Rock looked back at her, his brow furrowed in further confusion. He opened his mouth several times, eventually coming out with an obviously well thought through, "But...why?"

For once, Nami managed to refrain from rolling eyes at him. "Because I just have to," she explained (if you could really call that an explanantion). "I've stayed here too long already." Rock opened his mouth yet again, this time looking angry, but she swiftly cut through him. "Look, if you say 'but why' one more time, I'm afraid I'm going to have to kick you out of here - "

"Don't worry, I'm leaving!" he said, his voice rising all the while. Rock leapt up and gave Nami an uncharacteristically mean look. Before she could say a word, he rushed off, slamming the door behind him.

After watching the door for awhile, as though expecting him to return, Nami jumped onto her bed and stared fixedly at the ceiling. She focused so hard on it that her vision began to swim before her eyes and the rock music seemed to pulse through her almost calmingly. It felt like this overwhelming sense of numbness had crept into the room, soaking into her skin and washing through her mind. Pesonally, Nami didn't care. As long as she could ignore the rush of questions that kept pounding through her brain incessantly, then she was fine.

But no matter how hard she tried they kept plaguing her. Things like...just _what_ was the appeal of this stupid little town anyway? Why couldn't she just leave it all behind, without a second thought? Why hadn't Rock tried just a _little_ bit harder to convince her to stay? And most importantly why did she even care what he thought?

Nami turned over on her bed, flicking the 'off' switch on the radio as she did so. Maybe the silence would help her think clearly. It didn't; she simply fell asleep instead.

Later that afternoon, she awoke suddenly, feeling very hungry. Judging by the reddish colour of the sky, Nami realised that lunch was long gone and most likely so was supper. Ah well, it didn't really matter. She found she didn't have much of an appetite anyway, not even for Ruby's delicious cooking.

After a moment of just lying there listlessly, Nami decided she may as well actually _do_ something and got up with the intention of making an early start on packing: she figured she'd be gone by the end of the week at the latest. It was a lot more difficult than she first anticipated as her belingings seemed to be scattered far and wide across her room. In fact, she was pretty sure that some things were down in the kitchen and that she'd left a book in the Blue Bar.

Cursing herself for it, Nami was on her way downstairs when she first noticed a piece of paper that had been pushed under her door. There was doubt who it was from, she thought, opening it with some trepidation. Yep, her suspicions were correct; it was Rock's handwriting. At first Nami wasn't sure whether to laugh or not: he obviously wasn't going to win any prizes for spelling. Or grammar.

It took her while to decipher the note, but once she had, Nami could do nothing except laugh. It was certainly amusing, there was no doubt about that.

At the top of the paper there was a short letter that read:

_Hey Nami, it's Rock! Sorry about earlier and all, I only got mad 'cause I was hoping you wouldn't leave. Please stay? Please, please, PLEASE? I bet the new farmer will fancy you like crazy. And I bet he'll be really hansome too! In fact, if I were gay I'd go out with Farmer Muscles ('cause of course he'll be muscly - duh) in a flash! Obviously, though, I am not gay and you'll be free to date him at will. IF you stay, of course...so...please stay? If this letter has not convinced you, then no doubt the diagram below will. It is a picture of you and your future groom, Farmer Muscles._

Nervously, Nami glanced downwards and spotted the afore mentioned picture. It wasn't exactly easy to figure out, but eventually she understood. Clearly, the stick person with bright red spikes protruding from it's head was her and the hulking shape next to her was 'Farmer Muscles', who was - quite literally - all muscle.

Obviously poor Rock wasn't the best artist, but as far as Nami could see he was a very good friend. And it would be that - and _not_ body building farmers - that would keep her in Forget-Me-Not Valley.

She looked back down at the page. There was a PS:

_The Milk Drinking Contest is still on, right?_

----------------------------------------------

_A/n- I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I know that there wasn't much actual plot development in it, but I can promise that the next chapter will also feature Cliff for the first time so far. Thanks for reading and please review as I'd love to know what you think. Bye for now!_


	3. Ann and Cliff

_**Disclaimer-** Once again I don't own Harvest Moon, Natsume does._

_**Author's note-** Hey, everyone! I'm back at last with another update! I don't know why they seem to take so long when I haven't got school, maybe there are just too many distractions in the summer. Anyway, thanks once again to all my reviewers: **KCemployee**, **Awesome Rapidash**, **Ekoaleko**, **Chicken Yuki**, **Reidal** and **HyperFoxChild**. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!_

* * *

Ann and Cliff

Whilst Nami hadn't particularly been looking forward to an unbearably hot Summer, she thought the Goddess was going a bit far with crippling thunder storms and torrential rain instead. The bad weather hit Forget-Me-Not Valley just a few days into Summer and it meant that the residents were trapped inside for day.

Naturally, Nami was less than thrilled about this, as being confined for too long was not her idea of fun. But she supposed she should be grateful: according to the weather man poor little Mineral Town, that rested on the other side of the mountain, was worst affected. It was even suggested that over there they were going to be trapped for up to three days. Unfortunately though, the thought that Rock would take the opportunity to pester her for another Milk Drinking Contest was keeping 'gratitude' way to the back of her mind.

On that particular morning, Nami lingered in bed as long as possible. The radio wasn't working, but the howling wind and constant plunk, plunk, plunk of the rain was actually very comforting. Obviously she wouldn't have felt that way if she was out there in it, but while laying in her cosy, freshly laundered bed it wasn't so bad.

Now all she had to do was stay here for the rest of the day so as to avoid Rock. Easy.

Or not. About five minutes later, she thought about Ruby down in the kitchen preparing breakfast and found herself leaping hungrily out of bed. After chucking on the first clothes she came to, Nami stuck her head out of the door. Good - no sign of Rock whatsoever (although she was beginning to question why there would be. After all it was - what, eight thirty in the morning? She doubted whether Rock had ever _seen_ a clock at eight thirty in the morning). Nevertheless, the mere thought of another Milk Drinking Contest was enough to make her cautious. Amazingly, she'd actually managed to win the first one, but of course to win she'd had to drink the most milk and, well...that was where things went wrong. Let's just say it was an experience she did _not_ want to repeat.

Ruby was buttering mounds of toast near the kitchen sink when Nami wandered in. Before she entered though she had checked that the foyer was also Rock-free, as he'd now taken to jumping out and demanding a re-match at random intervals.

"Hey Ruby," she called, as a clap of thunder sounded overhead. "Bad weather, huh?"

Ruby just chuckled and mumbled something about 'understatements'. Moments later, when a blinding flash of lightning illuminated the kitchen, Nami couldn't help but agree with her.

Once breakfast was over though, the novelty of the storm began to wear off. Nami soon found herself wandering aimlessly around the foyer, examining the statues and plants even though she'd seen them hundreds of times already. Five minutes of that and she was more fed up than ever. If only something, _anything_ would happen and liven this day up -

"Nami," came Tim's cheery voice as he emerged from the back room, "Did I ever tell you about the time - ?"

Ah, she thought with an inward groan, anything _but_ that.

As it turned out, Nami hadn't heard Tim's story before, but by about the four-hundredth re-telling that morning she not only knew it inside out, but could have recited it in her sleep. And still he wasn't done talking. No, no he had many more tales to tell apparently...

After thirty excrutiating minutes (though it felt much longer) Tim finally made his way into the kitchen. Probably off to torture another poor soul, Nami thought darkly, once he'd left. It wasn't that she didn't like Tim - on the contrary actually, as the family had been so good to her - but he didn't half brag! His stories always seemed to revolve around something exciting he'd said or done in some fabulously exotic location. More often than not Ruby wasn't mentioned at all, yet still there he was, in the kitchen, eating the food she worked so hard to cook...Hmm, well, if that was marriage Nami was going to steer well clear.

Or maybe she was being cynical. After all, Ruby did like cooking and Tim did deal with all the financial stuff at the Inn...Yeah, she was definitely being cynical. And not to mention grumpy because of how terribly boring this day was turning out to be. It was actually getting to the stage where she would have given her right arm for Rock to come bounding down the stairs, with some crazy idea of how to pass the time.

Just when Nami was on the verge of going upstairs and rousing him, something interesting happened at last.

The wind seemed to have died down a little and now she was pretty sure she could hear strange noises just outside the front door. She crept up to it, pressing her ear up against the smooth oak. Yeah, definitely - something was out there. And by the seems of it, it was something alive: there was this weird high-pitched whining noise and the distinct sound of claws scratching against wood.

A moment of doubt shot through Nami, but curiosity soon took over, just like always. She opened the door as carefully as possible, at first met only by a fierce gust of wind. Then, after a second of waiting, something small but fast bolted across the threshold. At that point the door slammed shut of it's own accord and Nami felt a twinge of guilt; what if she'd unleased some dangerous wild creature upon the Inn?

Soon she came to realise that it wasn't dangerous at all, just incredibly annoying.

It was a little dog, light brown in colour with long, floppy ears and little red scarf tied around it's neck. Most noticable, however, was the fact that it _did not_ shut up. At first it ingnored Nami completely, instead opting to run in tight cricles in the middle of the floor. Naturally, all that noise brought the residents of the Inner Inn running to see what was up. Even Rock came stumbling downstairs, his blond hair tousled and his eyes only half open.

"Oh, cool!" he said, when he noticed what they were all staring at. "Have we got a dog now?"

"Yes, Rock," Nami replied irritably. "I just felt like popping down to the nearest pet shop, y'know, and picking up a puppy. There may be a gale blowing outside, but hey, why not?"

Rock ignored her. He made his way across the room to where his mother was now fawning over the little dog; it was actually quite cute when it stopped yapping incessantly. "Is it a boy or girl?" he asked no one in particular.

Nami was about to say something along the lines of 'how should I know?', but Ruby got there first. "I'm not sure, Rock," she cooed, whilst stroking it's ears. "But I do know that it's just so cute. Yes you are, aren't you? Aren't you? Aww, look how sweet it is..." She soon went off into the kitchen with Tim, muttering about making up a treat for the 'little sweetie'.

Good Goddess, this was getting sickly! _Eurgh!_ It was just a stupid dog when all was said and done. Admittedly, a very cute one, but still! Did that warrant appalling baby talk? No, it didn't; in Nami's opinion nothing did. And besides, before you knew it, Devil Dog would be running around like a wild animal again, barking and biting and who knows what else...She shuddered just in time for Rock to look up and see.

He grinned at her triumphantly. "I knew you'd soon ruin everything with your spoilsport attitude."

Nami stuck her tongue out in reply. "Whatever," she answered. "Anyway, what d'you mean I'm ruining everything? What's there to ruin? It's not our dog, Rock. I found it outside, okay? It's probably got an owner out there looking for it." - _Poor soul; if it were her's she'd be trying to lose it not the other way around_ - "I mean, we don't even know if it's a boy or girl yet!"

"Easily remedied," Rock replied. Then, before Nami could protest, he flipped the squirming bundle of fur onto it's back and announced, "It's a boy."

Nami was disgusted. "Poor thing," she muttered, giving Rock a dirty look.

However, he looked unfazed by this treatment and actually smiled back at her. "Well, how else are you supposed to sex animals?" he asked cockily. As much as she didn't want to admit, Nami had to agree that Rock was probably right. He had grown up in the countryside, after all. She decided to change the subject swiftly.

"So...Now we know he's a boy what d'you wanna call him?"

It was clear that Rock had been planning this since the moment he'd seen the dog. "What about Sparky? Or Sam? Or_ Crusher_?"

As Nami watched, the dog's tiny tail was thumping happily against the floor and his liquid brown eyes were watching them expectantly. Somehow she just couldn't see it. "I don't think he's much of a Crusher, Rock."

"Yeah, you're probably right," he agreed when he recieved a thorough face licking. "How about Licky, then?"

Just Nami was about to suggest something, there was resounding knock at the door which caused them both to freeze. They quickly traded glances, both clearly curious yet nervous at the same time. I mean, what kind of madman would you have to be to be wandering around in a storm? Not the sort of madman you'd want to invite into your home, was Nami's thinking.

Still, the curiosity was killing her. And Rock wasn't making any effort. He was just sat there stroking 'Licky' while watching the door as though expecting it to open by magic. Of course it didn't, but he seemed perfectly fine not knowing who was on the other side.

Nami, on the other hand, was much less satisfied. Before she could convince herself otherwise, she darted across the room and wrenched the door open for the second time that day.

It turned out to be a massive disappointment: there was no one in sight. Damn it! She'd got all excited about absolutely nothing.

She was struggling to keep the door open against the strong wind by this point, but just about managed to turn around to face Rock. "There's no one there!" she called to him.

Rock's expression was one of horror at these words. In fact, Nami could almost see him thinking 'ghost, ghost, ghost' over and over again. She was about to laugh at him and say it must have been the wind, when something or someone loomed up behind her and (as embarassing as it was) she actually screamed. Rock yelled too, but stopped quickly when he caught sight of the figure and realised that it was not a ghost at all, just a soaked and disgruntled looking man.

There was silence for a second while the three - Nami, Rock and the strange man - stared at each other; Nami because she was furious with herself for screaming, Rock because he was terrified and the man because he hadn't been invited in, most likely. He was taller than both of the other two and dressed in blue overalls, with tough black boots and brown gloves. He was also wearing an old baseball cap backwards, but you could just see a tuft of chocolate brown hair poking out. Nami was no expert, but she was fairly sure that this man was a farmer - he just had that look. Then a thought occured to her: what if this was the Valley's new farmer - ?

"Umm...I don't mean to interrupt," said the man, doing just that. "But this is an Inn, right? And I don't know if you've noticed, but there's a storm blowing out here and I'm pretty sure it's not doing my health any good. Could you please let me in? I'm not crazy or anything, honest - "

Nami's eyebrows shot up at this. "Really?" she asked coldly. "Soo...going out for a walk in the middle of a hurricane is perfectly sensible to you, is it?" When he said nothing to this, she smirked triumphantly. "Besides, I'm sure you'll be fine out here with the balcony above to shelter you."

"W - What?!" he stammered, and for the first time, Nami noticed that the man's teeth were chattering. What's more, his lips were going blue and he was shivering violently. Ah - that wasn't so good. What would be worse though, was buisness at the Inn if someone died on their doorstep. Damn.

As much as she disliked the idea, Nami had no choice then, but to stand back and let the man enter. The second she was out the way, he darted in, slamming the door behind him.

"Thank Goddess!" she cried, watching as water dripped off him and onto the wood floor. She folded her arms and glared. "It was cold with that door open, y'know!"

The farmer gave her odd look, clearly not understanding how he could of offended her. His mouth curved into a hopeful, half-smile, but it quickly disapperared under the red-head's glacial stare. He then turned to Rock obviously hoping for some clarity and suddenly the grin returned along with a relieved gasp.

"Buttons!"

"Nah, the name's Rock, mate. R-O-C-K."

It took all of Nami's self control not to scream her next words, "He's talking to the _dog,_ Rock, not you." Well, given that the second he said 'Buttons', the dog gave joyous bark and bounded across the room, it was more than a little obvious.

Soon enough, the sound of strange voices in the foyer brought Tim and Ruby running to see what was going on. Not long after that, the whole group, including the mysterious farmer and his hyperactive mutt, retired to kitchen where the whole story came out.

His name was actually Jack Taylor (not Farmer Muscles as Rock had called him at first by mistake) and he was a farmer in Mineral Town. He owned a place named Silver-Ridge Farm in the South of the town along with his dog Buttons.

"He didn't chew anyone's shoes did he?" Jack asked nervously. "He tends to do that when he gets excited. Or...you know...whenever else he feels like it."

Apparently, when Jack had opened the front door this morning to check the weather, Buttons had run off. And naturally he'd gone after him and they'd both wound up here.

"But how on earth did he manage to get so far away?" Ruby asked, placing the umpteenth bowl of soup in front of Jack. "Mother's Hill is trecherous even in good weather!" Nami was wondering the same thing; her own journey here had been bad enough.

Jack on the other hand chuckled at the question. "Oh, you'd be suprised," he told them somewhat proudly. "One time, I was in the chicken coop collecting fodder when Buttons came leaping out through the shoot. He loves chickens you see. Well. Chasing them anyway. And no," he added to their questioning looks, "I still don't know how he got in there when the coop's locked up all day and night. Most likely he scaled the mill somehow and got in that way."

"Wow! He's like the Superman of dogs!" Rock burst in eagerly, causing Nami to smile in his direction. She had the feeling that the story he'd just heard was going to make her friend even less happy to say goodbye to Buttons. Or Superdog, as Rock, surely, would now have wanted to call him.

Later that day, once the weather had calmed down considerably, Jack and Buttons departed for Mineral Town. "I think I'll recomend this place to my friends at home," he said before he left. They were all stood by the door saying goodbye to him, which to Nami seemed odd, as really and truly he was no more than a stranger. Then again though, she thought, so was she really. "I never noticed it in the storm," Jack continued. "But it's really beautiful here"

"Oh! Wait a moment!" Tim announced suddenly, before rushing off. "I've got something here that might interest you!" When he returned from the back room he was clutching a small and very battered old book. "It's a guide to the Valley. Bit old now, but it's got all you need to know. Pass it on to your friends if you like."

Jack looked thrilled. "Sure!" he beamed, flicking through it's yellowing pages. "I know just who would like this. My friend - "

They never did find out the name of Jack's friend, the reason being that Buttons had spotted some rabbits and looked as though all his birthdays had come at once. Thankfully, Jack managed to haul him away before anyone had suffer the trauma of a small animal massacre, but it effectively ended the conversation.

"Why don't you just buy your own dog, Rock?" Nami asked him that evening. They'd bumped into each other on the landing and she noticed he was still looking downtrodden.

Sighing heavily, Rock shuffled about in his baggy blue pyjamas, but said nothing.

"Well?" Nami prompted. She could feel this little edge of irritation creeping into the back of her mind and hoped Rock would have the sense to comply.

Fortunately, he did. "My parents would never let me," he told her sadly.

_Is he joking?_ Nami wondered, incredulously. _Surely he is...?_ But Rock had such a lost, pathetic expression on his face that she was forced to assume he was being serious.

Good Goddess.

For moment, she wavered between sympathy and exasperation, eventually deciding that sympathy was just far too hard for her to pull off. Besides, it would be such an effort and she was tired. "Rock, you're an adult!" Nami told him forcefully. "Pull yourself together, for Goddess sake! If you moved out into your own place, you could do what whatever you wanted."

"M - Moved out?" He had gone milky white at the mere mention of the idea, so Nami gave up and went to bed.

Poor Rock, the word 'independence' clearly wasn't part of his vocabulary.

* * *

"Ooo, look at you!" Muffy trilled as the door to the Blue Bar burst open. It was yet another wet, windy 'summer' morning in Forget-Me-Not Valley and Nami was not in the best of moods. Admittedly, she disliked the heat and glare of Summer, but this constant rain was getting ridiculous. She had already sketched every possible view from the Inn's windows several times and it was getting very boring. What she needed was something new, something fresh - but with the weather this unpredictable it was impossible.

And having to listen to Muffy squealing about fashion all morning was just going to be the icing on the cake...Marvellous.

Preparing to block it out as best she could, Nami stepped into to centre of the room, trying to shake her hair and clothes free of water.

"Here, take this," Muffy offered, darting around the bar and thrusting a compact mirror at her. "It's lucky you've got such short hair, you know; it's so much quicker to dry. I wish mine was like that."

It was such a sweet, but obvious lie, Nami thought with amusement. I mean, there was not a chance that Muffy would ever want to swap hairstyles. And who could blame her? She had such classic beauty: all porcelain perfect skin, wide emerald eyes and this huge mass of impossibly thick blonde curls. Pretty much perfection really. Well. Except for her clothes maybe. In Nami's opinion, her little red dress was a bit too short, her shiny heels too high and her tiny blue cardigarn just that. Tiny. It certainly didn't cover much anyway. You only had to see Rock's vacant expression when he spoke to her to realise _that._

The rest of the morning actually passed quite peacefully. Nami was very impressed - and also a little alarmed - by how easily she could block out Muffy's pointless gossiping. Even though she did feel slightly guilty about it, it actually became quite companionable. Muffy could talk away happily, while all Nami had to do was sit there sipping her Stone Oil and letting it all wash over her.

The day wore on in a similar way, until a few hours later when the door of the bar started to open slowly. Glancing up from her drink, Nami couldn't help, but wish that it was Rock. He and Muffy were just too funny to watch when they were together. They weren't a couple yet, but clearly fancied each other like mad. Muffy, for example, would giggle childishly at all of Rock's awful - and often completely baffling - jokes. He, on the other hand, would taste and compliment all of her latest homemade drinks, even when they turned his face green. It was all very strange to watch, but surprisingly they actually made a pretty cute pair. The problem was that neither of them seemed to realise that the attraction was mutual.

She was still watching the door eagerly, but when it did open fully, Nami noticed that it wasn't Rock on the other side, but a complete stranger. And an intruiging one at that.

He was tall and thin, with a wild tangle of deep brown hair that had been scooped back into a ponytail. It was his clothes that really drew her interest, though. They were neat enough to blend in with everyone else, but still sort of frayed and raggedy; they looked as though they'd been patched up many times before now. He seemed...Well, it was hard to describe, but she could kind of recognise herself in him. He looked as though he'd travelled at some point, yet like her he'd settled down a bit. At least those were her thoughts, maybe she was wrong, but he just seemed like the type...

Apparently he wasn't alone. Almost straight away someone else entered the Blue Bar. A woman.

Nami felt her stomach jump unexplicably at the sight of her. Well, for one thing she most certainly wasn't a traveller. The girl had bright ginger hair that was held back in a long braid. Her clothes (blue overalls and scruffy trainers) were much neater than the boy's and by the looks of it she was a country girl - definitely not from the city. Even though she was quite pale with skinny arms, she just had a healthy, well-fed look about her, that showed she had a proper home. Hmm...so what was a moody looking guy like him doing with such a cheery looking girl?

Nami tried to stop dwelling on it and instead concentrated on Muffy who had started licking her lips and fluffling her hair at the sight of the newcomers. Presumably not the woman of course, but the man. He seemed not to notice, however, and appeared to be more interested in surveying his surroundings.

Unfortunately for Muffy, the girl did notice and gave Nami a clear reason as to why she was with this man - sheer confidence. Turning fiery red with indignation, the girl announced loudly, "_We're _visiting from Mineral Town." She couldn't have made her presence much clearer really, and it certainly wiped the grin off Muffy's face.

While she dealt with the orders, the girl came over to sit by Nami, grinning all the way to her sparkling blue eyes. "Hey, I'm Ann," she beamed. Up close Nami had to admit that Ann was quite pretty. Her flaming hair complimented her skin perfectly, but it was her eyes that were most striking...they were just so blue, it was unreal almost.

"Nami," she answered, nodding. Once the man returned with drinks, she took a gulp of her own and lasped into silence. The pair (who were clearly a couple) were now talking in whispers about Stone Oils or something, so she couldn't hear much of what they were saying anyway.

Nami felt almost depressed. She was sure this man was like her - a traveller - and she felt oddly cheated by the fact that he was with some cheery little village girl, who probably had no idea what that kind of life was like.

Deep down, she knew she was being ridiculous as she knew nothing about either of them. After all, what gave her the right to judge? It was just that...it made her think about her own life. About love.

You see, she'd always imagined that someday on one of her many wanderings she'd meet someone just like her and - who knows? - something might happen between them. She didn't actually go out and search, but in the back of mind the idea was always there.

Now though...everything had changed. Her journey seemed to have come to a dead end in Forget-Me-Not Valley and maybe her dreams had too. It had never occured to Nami before that someone unlike her could understand her properly, but now, now she wasn't so sure.

Maybe it was about time she searched a bit closer to home, she decided eventually.

There was one problem with that idea, though: where exactly _was_ home?

* * *

_A/N- I know, I know, the plot's moving very slowly at the moment! It should pick up in a chapter or so though. Oh, and I know that Cliff's part in this chapter was tiny, but it was kinda meant to be. Obviously, there'll be much more of him in the future. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! Byee!_


	4. The Worst Idea Ever

_**Disclaimer**- I don't own Harvest Moon._

_**Author's note-** I'm so sorry this chapter took so long! All I can say is that I found it much more difficult to write than I expected. Anyway, I go back to school on Tuesday and I really wanted to get it up by then, which I've now achieved so I guess it's not all bad._

_As always thanks so much to all my reviewers: **Riedal**, **Ultra Drama Queen**, **Jay Bird12**, **Awesome Rapidash**, **KCemployee**, **Ekoaleko**, **Chicken Yuki** and **Alien-Child**. Thank you all so much, you're great! Well, on with the chapter!_

* * *

The Worst Idea Ever

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Nami sighed, leaning further over the balcony.

"Yep," Rock answered, but when she glanced at him, Nami realised he wasn't looking down at the Valley highstreet like her, but at Muffy as she bent over crates outside the Blue Bar.

"Rock!"

"Whaa - ? Oh...Sorry." He smiled at her sheepishly and looked around at the trees like he was supposed to have been doing in the first place. "Yeah, nice."

Once again Nami sighed, only this time it was out of exasperation. Ignoring Rock and his idiocy, she stared down at the street, just as she had done on her first night here. It was still as gorgeous as ever, although now - in her opinion, at least - more so.

You see, Summer was fast drawing to a close in the Valley and in just under a week's time it would be Fall. Nami adored Fall above all other seasons so she was particularly delighted to see that the trees were already changing from green to shades of red, gold and brown. And it was that that had prompted Rock to ask her why she was in such a good mood, which in turn had prompted _her_ to drag him outside for a look.

Of course, it had all been a waste of time as Rock had much more interest in the beauty of the local barmaid than the beauty of nature. By this point, though, Nami no longer cared. Rock was Rock, and to be honest she liked him as he was, pain in the butt or not.

She sighed again, as she headed inside, but only for appearances sake this time.

Rock huffed with indignation as he followed her. "Stop it with the sighing," he pleaded, whilst closing the glass doors behind himself. "I can't help my low attention span! My mind just...wanders."

"Onto things of a more curvy nature!" Nami sniggered before she could stop herself. She sat down on her bed and watched with amusement as Rock's face burned scarlet.

"I do _not_ fancy Muffy," he replied hotly. Then, after a minute of awkward silence, he added, "Erm...do you, um..._do you reckon lunch is ready yet?_"

It was a laughable attempt at changing the subject, but Nami examined the clock on her bedside table nevertheless. "It's just gone midday," she informed him briskly, still grinning at his embarassed expression. "Shouldn't be long before Ruby whips something up."

Even though he clearly wasn't thinking about the food, Rock nodded and made his way to the door. As he did so, Nami lay back on her bed and said more to herself than him, "I can't wait for Fall to arrive, y'know."

She wasn't expecting a reply, but surprisingly she got one. Rock, who had already left the room, doubled back and poked his head around the door.

"Me too," he agreed eagerly, his conker brown eyes almost gleaming with anticipation. "You mean the new farmer's arrival, right?" - Actually, she didn't, but Rock ploughed on before Nami had the chance to correct him - "Yeah, everyone's pretty excited about that. It'll be cool to have fresh eggs and milk and stuff just across the road, won't it? And there'll probably be animals as well!"

Suddenly, Rock stopped talking as a look of utter joy crossed his face. "Oh. My. Goddess," he whispered barely loud enough for Nami to hear. "I've just had _the best_ idea. EVER."

She shot upright almost instinctively, naturally fearing the worst. "What idea?"

But Rock just grinned, clearly relishing the moment. "You'll find out later, my friend," he told her mysteriously.

"Huh! Friend?" she muttered. "Not for much longer." But Rock remained unfazed, much to Nami's confusion. It was as though all the frostiness in the world wouldn't put him off. He was clearly an odd person. _Very_ odd in fact.

"Look, I'll fill you in later, okay?"

Nami would have protested that it wasn't okay at all, but somehow her voice wouldn't let her. She was too shellshocked; the thought that Rock had an idea was just completely terrifying. What was it he'd said? That it was the 'best idea ever'?

Nami rolled over onto her side and groaned. She hated the new farmer already.

* * *

As it turned out, Rock didn't fill Nami in later at all. In fact, she didn't see him again for the rest of the day. He vanished after bolting down his lunch in record time. After that Nami was completely unable to locate him. Hardly surprising, mind you, considering she didn't actually bother to look.

No, instead the red-head took the opportunity to wander the Valley and take in the new sights and scents of the fast approaching Fall. Much to her satisfaction, there was even a refreshing chill to the air, one which had been non-existent until very recently.

Eventually, she'd been walking for so long that her legs seemed to have gained a life of their own. Without really thinking about it, she found herself strolling along the narrow woodland path that ran alongside the currently unoccupied farm. Once she'd reached the end of it, she was faced with two options: the quaint, shaded pool to the left or the river bank by the waterfall on her right. In the end the waterfall won out, due to the fact that Cody was stood beside the pond. It wasn't that Nami felt intimidated by him or that she disliked him or anything like that, but he seemed kind of..._absorbed_ and she really didn't want to interrupt. She could tell by the way he was stood, shoulders slumped slightly, staring out across the water, but not actually seeing it. Oh, she'd done that before and no matter how well meaning people were, their presence just wasn't required. And out of the many things she may have been, a hypocrite was not about to become one of them.

Sitting on the grassy verge turned out to be quite relaxing anyway. At first, all she could think of was Rock and his plan, the farmer and the effect his arrival would have, and...just this seemingly _endless _list of worries that kept racing through her head. But not long after sitting down they all got pushed right to the back of her mind. All she could think about was the rush of the water against the rocks, the water that was so clear, so pure, so beautiful...

"Holy _Goddess_!"

It was harsh, almost distressed cry that caused Nami to leap up in alarm. She looked around, feeling disorientated, which was hardly surprising given that just minutes ago she'd been lingering between sleep and conciousness.

When at last she realised the cause of the commotion, she couldn't have been more shocked. It turned out to be one of the _last_ people she would have suspected.

Sat on the opposite bank - and looking beetroot with embarassment - was one of Forget-Me-Not Valley's local archeologists, Flora. She was perched on a rounded, mossy stone near the water's edge, clutching what appeared to be an old branch.

"Oh, this was once actually a fishing rod," Flora explained, noticing where Nami was looking. She brushed a strand of wavy blonde hair out of her face before continuing. "I was trying to catch supper for Carter and I. But now..." She gestured hopelessly at the water. "...It's gone. I had something caught, I'm sure of it, but when I tried to reel it in..._snap!_ The rod broke clean in two and the other end was dragged under by the current. It's a shame really, as something strong enough to snap the rod would've made a fine meal."

Somehow Nami doubted it. Judging by how brittle the wood looked, she reckoned a goldfish could've done it with ease. "I guess," she said anyway, giving a small shrug.

However, Flora wasn't fooled that easily. As she adjusted her glasses, her amethyst eyes met Nami's blue ones squarely. "I know, I know! The rod's awful, isn't it? Carter actually had me make it out of branches from the woods." She laughed at the look on Nami's face. "Yeah, he's a bit of a cheapskate all right! All our money goes on tools and research for the excavation. There's never anything left for such_ minor_ things as _food_ or _quality equipment_." She paused for a second, then winked. "Unless it's a trowel of course."

Nami, too, had to stop and think about what Flora had said. One thought kept bothering her. "You...don't like working at the dig?" she asked incredulously. It wasn't exactly the most polite question in the world, but she really had to know. To her the excavation sounded _fascinating._ So full of mystery and intrigue...it seemed like such an amazing job, a real insight into the secrets of the past.

Flora, however, shrugged offhandedly at all of that. "It's okay," she admitted eventually, the lack of enthusiasm in her voice very noticeable. "I'm just an assistant; Carter's in charge of everything really."

"Oh..." Nami leant back on her hands in the silence that followed. She glanced skywards and noticed how dark it was getting; the sun had already set and the sky was turning a cold, dull grey. Out of nowhere, she wondered if Rock had returned and grimaced at herself for thinking it.

On the opposite bank, Flora was standing up. She stretched out, throwing the remainder of the rod into the river as she did so. "Well, I'd better be off then. Bye Nami."

Nami opened her mouth to give a similar reply, but somehow she blurted out something completely unexpected. "Wait. What are you going to do for food?" The second it was out she regretted it; after all, what could she do to help?

Luckily though, Flora turned back and flashed her a quick smile. "Oh, it's okay," she explained. "Celia's a good friend of mine, she'll feed me. Or more to the point Vesta will. She's not one to see a girl starve. I'll be fine, don't worry about it."

"And Carter?"

Once again, Flora just shrugged. "Oh well," she smiled. "His lousy equipment, his problem."

* * *

Much to Nami's annoyance and - she had to admit - disappointment, Rock still wasn't around when she returned to the Inn. Even though it was late, she arrived just in time to eat with Ruby and Tim, neither of whom seemed too bothered by their son's absence.

"He's probably just gone into town, dear," Ruby assured her, whilst passing round plates of sizzling curry and rice. The spices gave off an overpowering scent that Nami just couldn't resist, despite the fact that she wanted to make something very clear.

"Mmm nor 'orried 'im," the red-head tried to explain through a mouth full of curry sauce. She swallowed it quickly, earning a burnt mouth and watering eyes. "Sorry. What I meant to say, was I'm not worried about him...Honestly!" she added as the two exchanged a very knowing look.

Dinner went on in a similar fashion, with Nami keeping up the small talk and answering any questions sent her way. All the while though, she couldn't help wondering what Ruby and Tim really thought of her. Were they simply just kind people or did they have some other reason for taking such an interest? She knew it was crazy, but, after seeing that weird look, she couldn't help wondering if they thought something was going on between her and Rock. Were they perhaps imagining her as their future daughter-in-law...?

"Oi! Nami!" Without warning she was whacked across the back of the head by an unknown attacker. Spinning around, she noticed Rock stood behind her looking for all the world as though he'd done nothing wrong. "It's me!" he announced unecessarily, adding, "You were in a world of your own!"

"Yeah I know," she replied crisply. "I was a lot happier there too."

Rock laughed loudly at that, the whole sound filling the kitchen and reverberating off the walls. He grabbed a plate of curry off the side and sat down next to Nami, who was placed opposite Ruby and Tim. She edged as far away from him as possible, still imagining their wedding with horror.

"You miss me?" Rock asked her quietly, once his parents had resumed their conversation. Nami hoped he was joking.

"No," she answered quickly, looking away. It didn't take her long to finish the rest of her meal, then she thanked Ruby for the food and raced from the kitchen and up the stairs.

Unfortunately, Rock followed. "Hey! Don't you want to know what my plan is?" he asked, as she opened her bedroom door.

"No. It'll only give me nightmares." Nami attempted to slam the door, but Rock bravely stuck his foot in the way. "_Rock!_ Move your foot at once - "

All of sudden, he was talking very fast and no amount of sticking her fingers in her ears was going to block him out. "Right. So I was thinking about how this Valley is all very well and good, but sometimes so dull. I mean nothing ever happens! So then I was thinking that the most interesting to thing to happen in ages would be the arrival of the new guy. That's when it hit me!" Finally, he drew breath and grinned at Nami expectantly. "Do you see where I'm going with this?"

She took her fingers out of her ears, giving him a wary look as she did so; half of her felt worried, the other half curious. "No, I really don't," she admitted slowly, wondering what was coming next.

Rock stepped closer, his face lit up with excitement. "Simple," he told her. "We hold a welcome party! That'll really liven the place up, won't it? I can just imagine - "

Nami stopped listening, as the blood drained from her face. Rock was still muttering excitedly, but all her thoughts seemed to have frozen. A party? That was her idea of a social hell! He had to be joking, surely. There was no way the residents would allow it...or would they?

"Rock, stop," she begged, looking at him as fiercely as possible in the circumstances. "When's this going to happen? Where? Are you sure about it?"

He looked very confused by her reaction, but answered all the same. "It'll be on the beach, on the evening of Fall the first. And yes, I'm sure. I even printed flyers in town!"

"But..." Nami was struggling hard for arguments by this point. "Well...What if no one wants to go to it - ?"

"Oh, they do," Rock assured her. "I popped into the Blue Bar on my way back and everyone was up for it. Griffin even said he'll provide drinks! Carter thinks it's a good idea too, and Gustafa and...Muffy."

There was something slightly odd, almost sad, about the way he said Muffy's name that gave Nami hope. "Come in a minute," she offered, opening the door wider and gesturing inside. There was some problem with Muffy - she just knew it - and if there was any chance she could use it to her advantage, she wouldn't hesitate.

Once the two were seated on either bed, facing each other across the gap, Nami questioned him. "So, what's up with Muffy?"

Just as she thought it would, his face fell. Nami meanwhile struggled to conceal a grin, but just about managed to keep quiet. "Promise you won't tell anyone?" Rock mumbled. His eyes were now fixed on the bedspread before him and suddenly Nami felt a tiny prick of conscience at making him feel worse.

"Yeah...I promise." And surprisingly she really meant it.

"Well, when I was in the Bar earlier, Muffy got really excited about the party and first I thought 'Wow, great', but then I asked her why..." He stopped abruptly and shook his head, seeming almost angry with himself. "I can't believe how stupid I've been! Do you know what she said? Do you?"

Even though she shook her head, Nami had a horrible feeling that she knew exactly where this was going.

"She said a party was the perfect place to get to know a 'hot farmer'! Hot!? Then, she said she hopes he's better than the other local men! Can you believe it? And before I knew it, she was going on about how she thinks this may be the start of something big for her." Finally, his little speech peetered out and when he spoke again it was in a much more defeated tone. "And she was so happy, Nami. I didn't know what to say, I just...played along."

Thoughts of using the situation to her advantage had been chased from Nami's mind. Instead, she tried to inject a little reason into the conversation. "But Rock! You don't fancy Muffy, remember? You said so this morning."

He gave a snort and shook his head. "Of course I do! She's gorgeous. And now she's going to run off with farmer boy and leave me to rot!" He sighed heavily, his head drooping, and as Nami watched she realised she'd never seen him so upset.

Nevertheless though, she still had her own problem and just maybe she could solve his too. Right...so if the party was called off altogether, Muffy could be kept away from the farmer more easily and Rock would have less to worry about. Perfect!

Just as she opened her mouth to suggest it, Rock gasped and leapt up off the bed. "I've got it!" he announced.

_Please, please, please let him be on the same wavelength,_ Nami thought desperately.

But he wasn't. "Nami," he babbled. "If you come to the party you can keep an eye on Muffy for me. You can keep her away from the farmer and everything. Perhaps you could even fake an interest in him? That might help!"

"But Rock - "

"Thank you so much!" he grinned. "I knew you'd do it for me."

Nami sighed defeatedly and gave in with a nod . To be honest, it sounded to her like the worst plan in the world. There was so much that could go wrong and a much simpler solution...

Somehow though, she just didn't have the heart to tell him that.

* * *

_A/n- Well, there you have it, another chapter done. I just want to mention that judging by how slowly the plot is unfolding, I'm beginning to think that Tales will surpass it's prequel in terms of length (for those who don't know it was 19 chapters long). That's not defininte, though, but it's just the feeling I'm getting at the moment. I did plan them to be similar lengths, but this is progressing slower than I imagined, so you never know. That said, thanks for reading and don't forget to review! Bye for now!_


	5. Season Of Change

**Disclaimer**- I don't own Harvest Moon. 

**Author's note**- I know, I know, it's been ages, hasn't it? I'm so **SO** sorry about that. I've found this chapter so hard to get into, but it's finally here and I just hope it won't disappoint my loyal reviewers. Speaking of which, a big thanks to: **Ekoaleko**, **Chicken Yuki**, **Alien-Child**, **Ultra Drama Queen**, **Awesome Rapidash**, **Jay Bird12** and **The Scarlet Sky**. Sorry for keeping you all waiting and enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Season Of Change

Fall had once again returned to quaint little Forget-Me-Not Valley. The intense heatwaves of the past few weeks were now long gone, to be replaced by brisk winds and bright, but frosty mornings.

In theory, Nami should have been very pleased to say goodbye to Summer - content even.

Unfortunately though, twenty or so years ago Rock was born and now, in the present day, was proceeding to ruin her life with his stupid, _stupid_ party.

But that wasn't the worst. Oh no, the worst part was the fact that even though she complained about him constantly and often found him very annoying, he was also the best friend she had.

Now that, Nami thought, was truly sad.

She mused over all this on the morning of Fall the first, while wandering along her usual route around town. It seemed to her that the entire population of Forget-Me-Not Valley was getting ridiculously excited about the arrival of a new resident.

When Rock had originally put his plan to her, Nami had immediately assumed that the villagers would be in upproar about a party being held in their quiet, old-fashioned community. For some reason though, they weren't. Not even Nina and Galen seemed too bothered and they weren't exactly young.

Soon however, she realised exactly why that was. It became very clear when she went, in a fit of boredom, to visit Rock just before lunch.

He was down on the beach preparing for the coming evening and much to the suprise of everyone had been there all day, as was his dedication. Personally, Nami felt that he should use his dedication up on a more worthy cause, but then even she could admit that seeing Rock awake and working before midday was nothing short of a miracle.

A harsh wind blew against her as she made her way down onto the sands, but despite that the sun shone brightly. Nami scowled about her, wondering why it couldn't rain instead so this whole stupid party thing could be called off. Mind you, the weather probably wouldn't put Rock off either. In fact, she could all too vividly imagine a crowd of shivering villagers huddling together in gale force winds while he leapt about happily, oblivious to their suffering.

"Hey Nami!" the real Rock cried out as she approached. He was stood on an ancient, rickety step-ladder apparently trying to tie some rope around the branches of nearby trees. Or something like that anyway.

"What on earth are you doing, Rock?"

"Putting up lights," he explained, pointing out a glass bulb. "They'll look lovely in the darkness, won't they?"

There was a brief moment in which Nami stared at him, as she tried to figure something out. "But...where are you going to plug them in?" she asked bluntly. Looking around it was clear to see that the nearest house was Gustafa's yurt, which didn't appear to be connected to anything itself.

"Oh, they're not _those_ kind of lights!" Rock told her with some unecessary eye rolling. "Gustafa leant them to me. They're more like lamps or candles I guess. You have to actually light them by hand."

"Ah," she said, realising that the bulbs were actually lanterns. "Why do I get the feeling that there's going to be a fire before this evening's over?"

Rock shook his head at her and jumped down from the ladder. "Because you're Little Miss Pessimist, that's why!"

Nami chose to ignore this comment. Instead, she took a little walk up and down the beach to have a look at all the party equipment. Not that there was all that much to see. "Is this all there is?" she wondered aloud, giving Rock an incredulous look and gesturing at the few small tables dotting the shore.

"Yeah." He frowned. "Why? What were you expecting?"

It was only then that it hit Nami. This, to the residents of Forget-Me-Not Valley, and possibly other similar rural towns, was a proper party. The gentle music of Gustafa's guitar, a few lights and some food was about as much as they'd ever experience here. It was entire worlds away from what she'd seen in the City and somehow that made things all the more bearable.

But, of course, that still didn't stop her _trying_ to convince him to call the whole thing off, even though it was last minute. She'd been doing the same ever since he'd announced his plans, but so far it had been to no avail. Apparently, Rock's love for Muffy just didn't stretch to calling off a party.

And they said romance was dead.

Anyway, Nami thought the whole 'keep Muffy distracted at the party plan' was all very pointless. It just seemd to her that if Muffy wanted to get to know this farmer, then she'd do it. Simple as that. She just seemed to be the determined type.

From all of their (mostly onesided) conversations in The Blue Bar Nami had got the distinct impression that Muffy felt the actual need to be in a relationship. And this was all in spite of the fact that she'd been disappointed so many times before.

Now, Nami didn't know why people like Muffy felt they should confide in her, but it did clearly back up her views on why romance was just a disaster waiting to happen. Not to mention pointless. And more trouble that its's worth and, well, she could go on.

"Are you sure it isn't too late in the day to call the whole thing off?" Nami persisted, as they headed back to the Inn for lunch.

Rock was a little way in front of her, but he turned and called out, "Don't be silly. The only reason we'd do that would be if a hurricane hit or something." He looked thoughtful for second. "Or maybe we could work around that...? What do _you_ think?"

Nami just groaned.

--------------------------------

The evening came far too soon for her liking. It seemed that one minute she was sitting down to Ruby's vegetable soup, and the next she was trailing after Rock on her way down to the Beach in the evening. Already it was getting dark, unlike the previous Summer nights, but as Nami continued down the hill and spotted the lights in the distance she stopped abruptly.

Just as Rock had told her earlier, they did indeed look wonderful. And while it was annoying to even realise - yet alone actually mention - that he was right, it was in fact true. The shore was softly illuminated by the candles, leaving the surrounding area looking eerily beautiful. Nami had been down here at dusk a few times before, but it had never looked quite as stunning as it did now.

It made the evening ahead seem a little more bearable, actually.

"Hey, Nami! Rock!" They both spun around on the grass to see Flora rushing towards them.

Nami felt herself smiling, as archeologist's arrival made the party seem more bearable still. Perhaps even enjoyable. You see, her and Flora had become quite good friends lately, due to their meeting by the Goddess pond a week ago. Now, Nami would visit the dig site most days, sometimes helping out and often getting to keep the finds that Carter deemed 'worthless'. She disagreed with him, of course, and the statues now proudly adorned her room like trophies.

But her main reason for going to the dig was to see, Flora, the only one of the women she had made friends with so far. Celia had no doubt been scared off, Muffy was fine, but was probably going to hate her after tonight and Lumina, she didn't know a great deal about. Flora, however, was good company. She didn't care that Nami had no job (this had shocked Celia), she wasn't constantly going on about her love life (Muffy, of course) and they had a similar sense of humour (she couldn't imagine having much of a laugh with the young, rich girl of town, Lumina).

As far as Nami could see, having Flora here could only be good news. "Hi," she answered her friend, wandering over. She was about to comment on the lanterns, when Rock cut right through her.

"Is Carter coming?" he demanded, looking deadly serious.

For a second, Flora looked taken aback, but she shook her head nevertheless. "Nah, he's made some vital discovery or something like that." She wrinkled her nose. "Apparently, I'm not needed to help, though I can't say I'm particularly bothered because lots of books were coming out and it all looked very boring." Rock earned a surprised look from her and she added, "Why? Did you actually _want_ him to be here?"

"Goddess no!" he laughed - in what Nami considered to be a very pleasant manner. Not. But Flora didn't seem to mind. She laughed cattily back, until Rock bounded away to greet Celia.

"He's fun, isn't he?" Flora commented as her and Nami set off around the Beach, taking in the tables, lights and banners.

Nami just shrugged, scuffing her trainers through the sand. "Mmm, he's alright." She glanced up to see Rock greeting Lumina, who was dressed in flowing, blue gown. From what Nami could hear she was complaining bitterly about her Grandmother, who'd apparently forced her into wearing it. Hmm...maybe she wasn't quite the spoilt little brat after all.

Nami's first thought, was that perhaps Rock was starting to take an interest in Lumina. It was odd, but his brown eyes kept meeting her amber ones in a most alluring way. And he kept giving her golden hair very admiring little looks.

But then Muffy arrived, shortly followed by Griffin, and Rock's interest vanished in a second. Only _for_ a second though, Nami observed with confusion. She watched as Rock glanced around at Muffy, who was talking excitely at Griffin, and then back to Lumina, laying it on thicker than before. Meanwhile, the poor young girl looked completely oblivious.

Flora had been watching the scene too. "What's he up to, d'you reckon?" she muttered.

"Trying to get Muffy jealous, by the looks of it," Nami replied, feeling angry on Lumina's behalf. "And it's not going work because she has no idea he even _likes_ her - "

"Wait!" Flora interuppted, looking amazed. "Rock likes Muffy? Really?" She burst out giggling uncontrollably at the thought of it.

Nami raised her eyebrows. "Yeah. So? What's so funny about that?" Once she'd calmed down, Flora admitted there was nothing wrong with it, she'd just been surprised, but Nami couldn'd get a strange nagging feeling out of her head. What was it she'd forgotten? She knew there was something, but _what_...?

Then it hit her. She'd promised Rock that she wouldn't tell anyone about his feelings for Muffy. Urggh...well that promise didn't last long! "You won't tell anyone, will you?" Nami whispered hurriedly. "Rock's oddly shy about her. I don't know why."

Flora nodded, wiping her glasses that had steamed up from the laughter. "Sure. I can keep quiet," she said. "Now. Do you know what time exactly this farmer character is arriving? I mean it is his party after all."

"Or so you'd think!" Nami laughed sarcastically. "I think Rock has pretty much taken over the whole event. And I'm not entirely sure when this new guy's arriving, 'cause Rock didn't really say. I don't think he really cares..." Soon, she was telling the whole story of Rock's jealousy of man he'd never met, eventually winding up saying that she thought Takakura would be arriving with the new guy soon. Possibly. "It could be anytime, though, really," she shrugged.

The hours drifted by with the weather getting steadily darker, colder and windier. And _still_ there was no sign of Takakura and the new arrival. Not that anyone really minded by that point. It seemed as though the fact that it was a welcome party had been lost amongst the music, lanterns and Stone Oils. People were just making the most of things now.

Nami was finding it strangely enjoyable too. More than she'd ever have imagined at first, anyway. Gustafa's music was amazingly relaxing and the comapny wasn't so bad either. Her, Flora, Lumina, Muffy and Celia were all sat in a group very near shore, most of them perched on rocks, but with Celia sat cross-legged on the floor as she'd insisted.

The topics of conversation weren't of very much interest to Nami, but, just like her method in the Blue Bar, she could somehow let the words wash over her, without much effort on her part. Lumina, she noticed, had actually turned out to be okay company, but was hopelessly niave and unfortunately found herself the butt of many jokes from the others who were more down to earth. Overall, though, she wasn't so bad and apparently had no idea about Rock's intentions, so Nami didn't bring it up.

Rock himself seemed to be having a wonderful time. He was leaping around like a child on the morning of the Stocking Festival, probably because his 'rival' for Muffy had not yet arrived and also, Nami suspected, due to a few too many Stone Oils.

"Are they _ever_ going to turn up?" Flora moaned, after at least another half an hour of waiting. "It's getting really windy now."

Nami would have to agree there. She felt as though it was only a matter of time before she became frozen to this rock; uncomfortable was a huge understatement. And the wind seemed to be gaining momentum rather than anything else. It was positively howling...

There were sudden shouts from the other side of the Beach and Gustafa's guitar stopped suddenly. None of the girls could see what was going on as the other villagers crowded around, but Muffy managed to push through the throng and they heard her excited squeal of, "It's them, it's them!"

"Finally," Flora muttered, causing a sly grin to creep onto Nami's face.

Just then Muffy was back looking shell-shocked. "It's - it's a woman!"

"Who?" they all asked.

"The farmer!" Muffy cried out, bitter disappointment etched across her face. She turned and ran back into the crowds and when Nami looked up she saw Rock following the barmaid closely. She tried to keep watching them, but her view was obscurred by the excited villagers.

"A woman?" Lumina questioned meanwhile. "A woman...farmer?"

"So?" Celia, Flora and Nami retorted in unison. Lumina looked most put out by their fierce defence and she was soon gone as well.

"Y'know," Nami remarked lazily a moment later, stretching cat-like on her rock. "I think I'll be off in a minute."

"Me too," Flora agreed, doing likewise.

Celia, on the other hand, looked deeply surprised. "Don't you want to meet her then? Our new resident?" she asked them, wide-eyed. "We don't even know what she looks like yet. Or her name!"

Flora leapt up on her rock for extra height and peered over the heads. "Er...'bout 5' 2", 5' 3" maybe. Brown eyes, brown hair. Gravity defying ponty-tail. And loud. _Very_ loud."

"Yeah, like we can't hear," Nami replied, hoping no one would notice if she put her hands over her ears. She could make out the girl announcing her name. Roxy, was it?_ No_...Robyn, maybe? Yes. Robyn, that was it.

Suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, the wind picked up to an incredible speed. Flora was nearly sent flying off the rocks and had to grab onto Nami to stop herself from falling. She only just clung on. "Holy Goddess," she murmured.

Nami was equally concerned. Many of the lanterns had gone out in the wind, throwing the sands into a creepy half darkness, and everyone had become eerily quiet. Maybe her earlier jokes about storms hadn't been too far off...

And that's when it happened, the crash of thunder that sent screams echoing along the shore. At first, Nami thought people were massively overreacting, but then the lightning lit up the sky and the waves hit their rock and...and...suddenly Flora wasn't there anymore.

And then...then neither was she. She didn't know where she was, she only knew the icy,_ icy_ cold and the pain in her chest and her lungs surely reaching bursting point. She needed air, but she couldn't reach it, no matter how hard she struggled.

She couldn't find Flora or Muffy or Rock or...anyone. Just blackness.


	6. Aftermath

**Disclaimer** - Harvest Moon does not belong to me. 

**Author's note **- You may be wondering, when you see the length of this chapter, how it took me so long to produce such a little amount of writing. I'm wondering it too! School and homework have been hectic as usual, but I've just had pretty bad writer's block on this story for ages. Luckily, what with having finally decided on a definite ending, I'm fully excited about it again, so hopefully updates will be more frequent.

The reason it's so short is that I basically cut down a chapter's worth of writing into two in order to get an update in before the New Year. It was really starting to drag on, to be honest. Anyway, despite the length I hope everyone enjoys the chapter and, as always, a big thanks to my reviewers: **The Scarlet Sky**, **Kairi Tsubasa**, **Awesome Rapidash**, **Alien-Child**, **Ekoaleko** and **Ultra Drama Queen**.

* * *

Aftermath

The Inn's foyer was spookily silent. Almost full, it may have been, but silence reigned over the stunned villagers nevertheless.

And somehow, that made it a whole lot worse.

Nami herself was as equally uninclined to talk as the next person, nevermind the fact that there was no one for her to talk to. That was her choice though.

...Well, sort of.

If she was totally honest, just speaking to Rock would have brought some calm (shockingly) and normality back to a scarily unreal situtation. Hell, she thought, it was the storm that had been scarily unreal if anything! One minute, nothing more than a brisk wind and the next...well, next she was in the sea. It had all happened so very quickly.

People screaming, panicking, drowning...or nearly drowning at the least. It was a miracle no one did, to be honest. Nami's memories of the actual event were pretty vague and considering that it had all happened less than an hour ago, that was surely not a good thing. However, she was mostly fine and had found herself being dragged onto the beach amid much confusion. She still wasn't entirely sure who had saved her, though at the time finding that out wasn't her top priority. That was more...the fate of her friends.

She couldn't find Rock anywhere at first, which had left her scarily panicked, and Muffy was nowhere to be seen either.

Though the reason for _that_ she'd discover later.

Then there was Flora - Flora who'd suffered a similar fate to her. Into the water. It was Cody who'd dragged the archeologist out and now Nami thought of it perhaps he'd been the one to save her too.

But she hadn't thought anything of it at the time. Instead, she pounded along the sodden sands battling through the wind and rain, just to reach her limp looking friend. It was panic like she'd never experienced before - and Nami found she wasn't too fond of it.

When she'd finally reached Cody, he was already turning away, Flora still and silent in his arms. Nami followed behind as quickly as she could, stumbling along a little as the cold that seemed to have reached her insides now took a chilling hold.

It couldn't have taken more than a few minutes to reach the shelter of the Inner Inn, but at the time it felt like an eternity, as huge droplets of rain battered them. Gradually, they drew nearer and ducked inside the foyer. It was packed with people all calling out, trying to find others. Utter chaos really, and Nami's head began pounding instantly.

As she observed the scene, she found herself wondering how exactly everyone else had got here so quickly. Or was it just that her, Cody (who had not yet spoken) and Flora had taken so long on the Beach themselves? Maybe she'd been in the water longer than she realised...

It certainly seemed that way. The images before her blurred, though for only a moment, and she blinked rapidly to bring everything back into focus. Cody was saying something, but his voice came out oddly distant and hard to understand. At least that's how it seemed to Nami, by that point. And that was her last conscious thought, before her vision faded into darkness.

Hence, how she came to be sat in a solitary corner of the Inn, with a thin, white blanket draped around her slender shoulders. Luckily, she was fine - even after passing out briefly - but the same couldn't be said for everyone. Flora was currently being looked over by Doctor Hardy, though she was sitting up, and there was nothing, but pure shock registered on every face.

Nami watched them all with a strange kind of eagerness. The concern, worry and fierce community spirit that radiated the room, and had almost - just for a second - captured her too, was so fascinating to watch...

And that was when she spotted him, no make that _it _actually, at the other side of the room. A blond head bobbing amongst the crowd.

Rock's.

Nami was on her feet at once, shrugging off the blanket and pushing past Doctor Hardy, who insisted she rest instead.

"Hey! Rock!" she yelled out once within touching distance.

Before he'd even had time to turn around, Nami hastily imposed her greeting upon him. Whether it was going to be a punch or a hug, she wasn't quite sure yet, but the answer soon became apparent.

Rock reeled backwards as her fist connected hard with his shoulder. Outraged, he opened his mouth to protest, only for Nami to get there first.

"So where've you been?" she hissed dangerously, pushing him out of earshot of a bedraggled looking Lumina who'd turned to stare.

His light brown eyes blinked back at Nami innocently, as if to say 'What on _earth_ are you talking about?'. "Same as everyone else, " he answered just a little too quickly.

"Liar!"

Rock gave her another dose of the wide-eyed innocent look, but Nami wasn't to be fooled. He swiftly changed tact.

"Come here a minute." Grabbing her arm, he glanced around quickly before dragging her towards the stairs. They stopped half-way from the top, cloaked in the thick, enveloping darkness.

"What's the conspiracy, then?" Nami asked quietly, arching an eyebrow.

Rock, however, didn't so much as grin, let alone actually laugh. Through the gloom his expression was difficult to read, though Nami was pretty certain it wasn't good. "It's, well - " he stopped abruptly. "Actually, now I think of it, it's really none of your business."

Both Nami's eyebrows shot up this time. "Oh?" came her amused reply. She leant forward just a little across the small space between her and Rock. "You know," she muttered. "I _saw_ you and Muffy together - "

"Alright, alright!" Rock interrupted hurriedly, as though there were people all around them listening in eagerly. He took a few steps further up the stairs and gestured for Nami to follow. "Okay, so I was with Muffy," he concluded, wearily. "Happy?"

"Not really," Nami answered slowly, as she took it all in. "Where is she now? What _happened?"_

"Aren't you the nosy one?" Rock snapped.

This was so unlike him that Nami rocked back as though she'd been slapped. But she managed to steel herself. "Look, if you don't want to tell me then fine, but the last time I saw Muffy was on the beach with you and I think I have a right to know where she is! She's...a friend."

Suddenly, Rock couldn't contain himself and snorted with sarcastic laughter. "Yeah right!"

His words didn't exactly hit Nami that hard. After all, Muffy wasn't really a friend at all, it was just her curiosity making her say so. _And_, perhaps, a little bit of cunning too. She plastered a hurt look on her face and kept it there, knowing full well that Rock was bound to crumble soon.

And right on cue, he did. "Fine, okay," he sighed. "You said you saw her on the beach, right? Then you must have seen how upset she was too. I followed, as you know, and tried to talk to her. But did she want to know? Nope, not interested. You know what I'm like though: persistent, right? She said it was more like idiotic and then we kissed - "

Nami had stayed silent and let Rock talk through most of his speech, but it was at that point she felt she should interrupt. "I'm confused, to be honest," she frowned. "You argued, then next second, you were kissing?"

Rock grinned back at her through the darkness. "Well...I just sort of kissed her, even though she seemed pretty mad at me. She didn't object though!" he added quickly, observing the skeptical expression on his friend's face. "She was just a bit shocked and went all quiet, but then she leant forward a bit and I swear she was going to kiss me back. Only it went and started raining!" Rock sounded genuinely angry now. "So, she ran back to the Blue Bar and I came back here."

"So you were never on the beach with the rest of us?"

There was a little pause. "...No," Rock answered eventually. He didn't seem particularly happy with himself, Nami noted sadly. She was used to Rock being fun, just brushing things off easily; this was different however. "One big disaster that turned out to be, huh?" he added.

"No! No, it wasn't," Nami insisted, perhaps hesitating for a little too long. "It's not like you control the damn _weather,_ Rock!"

"I know! It's...it's just..."

"Muffy?" she finished for him. The strange, unexpected softness of her voice was actually quite a shock. But in an odd way she understood. And, despite the way she sometimes acted, she really did feel for Rock. It was surprisingly upsetting to see him like this.

"Mmm," he mumbled after a long while and Nami had almost forgotten asking. "Muffy, indeed. I just really hope she's okay and I haven't completely blown it. She likes me though, she must do." It sounded to her like he was thinking aloud, so it came as an unpleasant surprise when he added hopefully, "And she does, doesn't she?"

There was really only one answer to that question, Nami realised.

And not the one Rock wanted to hear.

* * *

**A/N** - Well. It certainly was short, wasn't it? Sorry about that, but it was either this or no update until I've no idea when!

Anyway, the next chapter continues the Muffy x Rock saga. At the moment, it might seem strange for me to be focusing on them, but they're quite important for the main plot, so bear with me. Also, Cliff should _finally_ be making his long-awaited appearance very soon! Thanks for reading!


	7. Crossed Wires

**Disclaimer** - I do **not **own Harvest Moon. 

**Author's note** - As always, sorry for the delay. My only excuse this time is that I really wanted to get this chapter right. And homework, of course...and exams. Well you get the picture! Anyway, thanks always to my amazing reviewers: **Chicken Yuki**, **KCemployee**, **Alien-Child**, **HMAWLover** and **Ekoaleko.**

* * *

Crossed Wires

Dawn broke over Forget-Me-Not Valley as beautifully as if it were any other day. The beams of light crept tentatively across the landscape at first, and you'd be forgiven for believing in the illusion of harmony.

But as the sun's light grew stronger over the Valley, the damage was highlighted with startling clarity. Broken trees and snapped branches lay all around, glimmering oddly in the bright sunlight. Several buildings had lost roof tiles to the wind which now lay shattered in the streets. It was definitely a far cry from harmony.

Nami was sat silently by the back window of her room, staring out at the beach below. As she watched, it occured to her how weird it was that everything seemed so normal. Too normal, in fact, given what had had happened last night. The waves were now lapping calmly against the sands as though they _weren't _littered with all sorts of debris; planks of wood, sheets of metal and, worst of all, the beautiful coloured lanterns that were now smashed into a million little pieces so fine they looked like rainbow dust.

After one last sweeping glance at the scene, Nami hopped down from the window ledge. It was far too quiet for her liking, but she didn't dare switch on the radio for fear of waking anyone. Flora was currently sleeping in the spare bed in her room, Rock had given up his room for Lumina and Robyn and everyone else was making do with the space they had downstairs. The weather had actually improved drastically by around two o'clock that morning, but Ruby wouldn't hear of anyone leaving at that hour and it wasn't as though anyone really wanted to either. So they all stuck around leaving Nami very grateful that she had Flora to take her bed, rather than having to give it to one of the other girls.

It wasn't that she desperately disliked any of them, it was just that it would be slightly awkward. Celia was always so chatty, Robyn - though she barely knew her - was evidently unnecessarily loud, Lumina didn't seem to like her and Muffy, well, truthfully she was perfectly welcome. Except for the fact that she wasn't around, of course.

Careful not to make too much noise, Nami paced the wooden boards somewhat restlessly. It irritated her no end, but, despite her best efforts, she couldn't stop wondering about Muffy and Rock. Damn stupid blondes, she thought grumpily, simply because she could hardly shout it aloud. Why couldn't they either get together or split up completely? All this hovering in between did no one any good and was _incredibly_ annoying for those who got caught up in it. In other words: her.

She wondered vaguely about the reasons for Muffy running off like she did, when the decision to keep quiet was abruptly taken out of her hands by a knock at the door. "Rock!" she hissed out of instinct before she'd even opened it. But it wasn't him. Instead stood in the hall, shivering slightly in an old nightgown that was much too big, was the new brunette farmer, Robyn. "Oh," Nami mumbled, surprised. "Hi."

Robyn smiled, obviously unfazed. "Hey!" she answered. Her tone was pretty cheery, but it didn't quite meet her big, brown eyes. "I was wondering...where is everybody?"

This seemed an odd question to Nami. "Well," she said slowly. "Flora's staying in my room, everyone else will be downstairs, I suppose, and Lumina's in Rock's room with you. Right?"

"No, she left earlier."

Nami nodded, and was on the verge of closing the door, when it tranpsired that Robyn had more to say.

"So," she continued. "Where's Rock, then?"

Nami blinked, as this particular question seemed even odder still. "I don't know," she told the girl who, lets face it, was practically a stranger. Feeling her annoyance begin to rise steadily, she went on, "And why would I, anyway?"

At this reply, Robyn looked just as confused as Nami felt and it was that which prompted her to suspect she was missing something. But before she had time to ask, Robyn was yet _again _talking. "Weell..." she began, then paused for effect. "It's just...something Lumina said really." She stopped for a longer pause and after a moment of waiting, Nami suddenly realised she was expected to answer.

"Er...oh?"

"Talking about..." she continued gleefully, before yet another irritating pause. "_Rock!_"

That's it, Nami thought, knowing now more than ever that something wasn't quite right. "Why are you telling me this?" she asked, only really annoyed because this Robyn had captured her attention so much.

"I would have thought that was obivous," the brunette told her, mysteriously.

"Nope."

"So...the rumours _aren't_ true, then?"

It was only then that Nami understood the full extent of Robyn's nosiness. She had arrived practically in the middle of a storm, been here less than twenty-four hours and was already devouring eagerly some damn piece of gossip dredged up from Goddess know where! Nami sighed as she came to her weary conclusion, "No, Robyn, they're probably not."

"Oh!" Robyn's cheeks flushed slightly pink and her eyes shone mischeviously. "Then...you and Rock _aren't_ a couple?"

Try as she might, Nami couldn't stifle a gasp at that bombshell. "N - no we're damn well not," she spluttered. And forgetting all about Flora, slammed the door shut with a bang.

* * *

Nami knew full well that it would take something massive to overshadow Robyn's ridiculous theory about her and Rock, yet unfortunately such a situation did arise. Once everyone else had left later that morning, Ruby called a meeting of sorts in the kitchen.

At first, Nami assumed this was a family thing - and she was right. But the problem was Ruby seemed to consider her as family, so she had no choice, but to attend along with the others.

Rock looked utterly despondent as he trailed into his mother's spotless kitchen. So much so, in fact, that he couldn't even face the selection snacks carefully laid out on the side. Nami, though, had no time to be sympathetic.

"Rock," she hissed, as he flopped down at the table. "I need to talk to you - "

"If it's about Muffy, you can forget it. I'm trying to, at least."

Almost without meaning to, Nami rolled her eyes. "No, it's no that," she muttered hurriedly, wanting to give him a good shake. "Though now I think of it, why on earth are you giving up on Muffy? She didn't turn you down: she was upset and disappointed about Robyn being the farmer, and maybe you took things too fast, but it's not over."

"It is!" Rock insisted childishly. "She ran a mile from me, didn't she?"

"But that was because of the storm," Nami retorted, though there was an unpleasant knawing sensation growing in her stomach. She couldn't help wondering if there was more to the story than Rock had first let on...

Ah. Judging by the ever shifty look on his face, that was it. "Well..not quite," he admitted, eventually.

"What then?"

The silence and tension in the room grew steadily, but Rock didn't seem keen to reveal anything. "It's - well - " He squirmed awkwardly in his seat, as Nami sighed impatiently. "She ran off way before it even started raining, if you must know. I mean, she did kiss me back for a second, yeah, but then bolted muttering 'Sorry, sorry' over and over again."

"Oh." Nami didn't really know what to say to that, and in the end that single syllable was all she could manage. She already had her doubts about Rock and Muffy, the couple, and in truth this only heightened them.

Quick to pick up on her expression, Rock looked even more anguished than he had before. "See?" he whined. "It _is_ over, you _do_ think so too."

At that point, Nami supposed she should have said something about never giving up, no matter how bad it seemed, but she just didn't have the time. "Look Rock," she whispered again. "I'm sure everything will fine, okay? But actually, I wanted to ask you about something Robyn said. Or, more to the point something she claimed Lumina said - "

Yet again though, Nami was interrupted. And this time there was really nothing she could do about it.

Ruby had just entered the kitchen and the mere sight of her silenced the pair straight away. They both felt frozen to the core as they took in the tears sliding down her round, tanned face. It was such an unusual sight that Nami found herself blinking several times to convince herself she wasn't dreaming.

"What's up?" Rock asked, glancing anxiously from his mother to his father, who'd just walked in.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting this long, kids," she sniffed. "But I thought I'd better get you both here to tell you. I'm afraid the storm last night wasn't as victimless as we first thought..."

* * *

The days continued to crawl by in the Valley, seemingly drawing out an already sombre Fall. It wasn't just the weather - though that showed very little signs of improvement too - but the whole dreary atmosphere of the place. Every day was as eerily quiet as the next and no one, no matter how much they wanted to, could pretend it was just because of the rain.

Irritating drizzily, _driving_ rain, that wasn't enough to warrant an umbrella but was enough to get you soaked if you were in it for too long, was currently falling on Nami as she battled her way up the high-street. It was little past midday, though to her annoyance the town was almost entirely deserted.

It didn't feel right at all, she realised as she passed by the entrance of the newly christened, Robyn's Ranch.

At that precise moment, she heard Robyn's loud, echoing laugh reverberating across the property as she worked, and hurried on. It sounded foreign in the still, silent air and suddenly Nami found herself cringing.

This was all so horrible; nothing seemed right, not loud nor quiet. The unnerving silence felt completely wrong, yet...deep down she knew it was far too soon for laughing and joking and_ life_, even.

Sighing, the exasperated redhead rushed towards the Blue Bar. She nearly had the door open when someone else barged through it and right into her. Out of instinct, she opened her mouth to complain sharply, before realising just who the careless person was. Her mouth stayed open, gulping like a fish out of water.

"Flora...I'm..."

"Sorry?" the archeologist cut in. "Yes. You're not the only one. Everyone is by the seems of it."

Nami shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. "I meant about the door really...But still..." She trailed off slowly, too caught up in Flora's appearance to carry on. Her friend's usually shiny dark blonde hair, now fell in limp, lank folds around her thin face. Her clothes looked dishevelled to say the least and clearly hadn't been washed in days. They hung limply off her skinny form.

"What?" Flora snapped, following Nami's gaze. Her velvety, purple eyes narrowed and darkened suddenly, in a way that was most unlike her.

"Look," Nami ventured. "It's really not your - "

"Fault?" Flora laughed bitterly. "Well, sorry for second guessing you, but I've heard it all before. It's textbook, isn't it? It's what they've all told me, truth or not."

"Well, maybe it's _really_ not your fault," Nami told her quietly. She was trying to be as careful and tactful as possible, but it didn't really work.

Looking unconvinced, Flora shrugged. "Whatever. I've really got to go now, actually. Work to do. I'll - I'll see you around, okay?"

It most definitely wasn't okay, but there was nothing Nami could do about it. She watched as Flora marched off into the worsening rain before turning defeatedly back to the door.

There was no one in the bar when she went it, except for Muffy, of course, who was cleaning glasses. She leapt up at the sound of the door, but gave a small smile at noticing it was Nami.

"Oh!" she sighed. "Boy am I glad to see you!"

Nami came and sat at the bar. "Why's that, then?" she asked. To be honest, she didn't really care anymore. Seeing Flora like that had been so freaky and she just knew that getting that image out of her head was going to take a while.

"Flora," Muffy explained, already in the process of pouring Nami a drink. "I thought she was back again."

A horribly familiar, queasy feeling had settled in Nami's stomach at Muffy's words. "Oh," she muttered, feeling increasingly deflated. "So...why would that worry you?"

"Well, I thought she was gonna kick off again, didn't I? And I don't need that sort of thing at this time of day. You expect it in the evenings, sure, but not in the _mornings_."

Though she was pretty certain she knew the answer, Nami felt she'd better enquire further.

"Wanted to drink herself half to death, I expect," Muffy answered. She then stopped to let out another breathy sigh, the sadness in her voice lighting her soft, green eyes. And despite the circumstances, Nami felt a tiny bittersweet smile creeping onto her lips. It was just _nice,_ that was all, to see someone acting properly human for a change. For days on end it had been vacant stares, glazed eyes and distant, faraway conversations. Life in Forget-Me-Not seemed to come to a standstill when blighted by death and somehow, despite promising it would never happen, Nami had been dragged down into their spiral of despair. "'Course I didn't serve her," Muffy continued. "She wasn't too happy though."

Nami swallowed her generous measure of Stone Oil, feeling ever so slightly hypocritical as she did so. "Poor girl..." she murmured sadly.

"Yeah. Poor Carter too. I mean, I never_ really_ liked the guy - " Muffy clapped a hand over her mouth suddenly, looking a bit guilty. "Still," she went on. "You can't speak ill of the dead, can you?"

"No," Nami agreed, though, in truth, she wasn't really listening anymore. Her mind had wandered to the night of the storm, the night Carter died. It had changed everything, really. Shattered the whole rosy, community glow of the Valley. Everyone had rushed off to the safety of the Inn, but no one had remembered Carter and his supposedly wonderful find. Nami certainly hadn't, that was for certain. She wondered, for a moment, if Flora had remembered him, though something about her anguished expression earlier told her not.

Muffy was still babbling on about rights and wrongs, so Nami quickly cut through her. "Look Muffy, there was something I actually came to ask you today," she explained. "It's about you and Rock - "

Much to her confusion, the blonde barmaid burst out giggling. "Don't you mean _you_ and Rock!"

It was a struggle for Nami not to scream at that point. Damn Robyn, she thought, damn her_ stupid_ rumours. "You've heard, then?" she muttered grudgingly.

"Who hasn't?" Muffy laughed. She grinned childishly at the look on Nami's face, though poured her another drink by way of apology. "In all seriousness though, I expect someone just told her how close you two are."

Nami nearly choked on her Stone Oil. "We are not!"

"Are too! Well...Rock's always saying he likes you," Muffy retorted. This time her voice shook a little as she mentioned him. Probably due to the fact that they hadn't seen each other since the party, so technically speaking he wasn't telling her _anything_ anymore.

Nami tried to distract her as best she could. "You know, I think Robyn actually got the rumour from something Lumina said."

"Huh. That figures. Probably fancies Rock herself."

While sipping her drink in silence, Nami tried to steel herself to ask. She fully intended to be quite subtle about it, but somewhere along the line her plan went awry. "Why d'you run off Muffy?" she blurted out.

Muffy stopped in the act of wiping a wine glass, her mouth half-open. She stared at Nami. "Huh? What do you mean? When?"

So, as calmly as she could manage, Nami told her. She was pretty sure she already understood though. They both did.

"I guess I was just scared," her blonde companion admitted eventually.

"Scared? Of _Rock?_" Nami knew she sounded highly incredulous, but she couldn't help it. The words Rock and 'scared' just didn't go together, in her opinion. In fact, they couldn't be further apart.

She heard Muffy swallow nervously. "No, scared of his reaction really. 'Cause I'm afraid. Afraid I just might love him."

* * *

Over the next few days, life slowly began to return to something like normal in the Valley. News of Carter's tragic death seemed to have finally sunk in - with some people at least - and the mood had started to lighten.

Nami hadn't told Rock the exact details of her conversation with Muffy, but when he'd finally emerged from his lair, she'd given him a vague enough idea. He could have been more thrilled, admittedly, but the return of his usual cheeky smile was certainly a start. He even managed to laugh about Robyn and her rumour.

"Are you ever going to get together with Muffy?" Nami asked for about the fifth time. It was a bitterly frosty morning torwards the end of the season and her and Rock were wandering back from the beach.

He shrugged, then laughed mysteriously. "I'm waiting for the right moment that's all."

But Nami shook her head. "There'll never be the right moment if you carry on at this pace. Just get on with, I say." She spun around, taking in the landscape which was currently bathed in weak, wintery sunlight. Then, spotting _just_ the person, a cunning grin crept onto her face. "How about now?"

"What?" Rock glanced up suddenly, visibly alarmed. Looking like a deer caught in the headlights, he saw who Nami was looking at straight away. Standing on the wooden bridge across the river, with her back to them, was Muffy. Her long, blonde hair and trademark red dress were unmistakeable.

Rock laughed again, only this time it sounded nervous and hollow. "No," he said. "No, no, no. I can't!"

"You _can!_" Nami insisted, and, without really thinking about it, she grabbed his hand and dragged him up the hill. "Oi! Muffy!"

It wasn't the best plan in the world, she realised afterwards, but amazingly it did work. Only days after leaving them together by the river, she spotted them wandering up the street together. And not just that, but holding hands too. For them it was clearly a beginning, yet, oddly enough, for Nami it felt like an ending.

The ending of her time in Forget-Me-Not Valley.

She'd seen so much there, experienced more than she could have ever imagined. Too much, probably. And the longer she stayed, the harder it would be to let go eventually. The possibility of living there permanently didn't even enter her head at that point.

As Winter arrived in a flurry of snowstorms, the feeling only got stronger. In truth, only the thought of Flora was keeping her in the Valley. Her unrepaired friendship with the archeologist felt like an annoying loose end in a novel. One that was never tied up.

But despite her efforts to speak to her friend, Flora was completely unresponsive. She stayed at the dig site day and night, working tirelessly to continue Carter's legacy. It was the guilt, Nami realised, that was festering away inside her, eating her from the inside out.

Every time they spoke, Flora seemed so distant. It was as though all she could see was the party and all she could hear were her catty comments about Carter. Nami kept remembering that night too. Most of all she remembered Flora's laugh.

It was Flora at the forefront of her mind the night she left. And Muffy and Ruby and Rock.

As she marched up the road out of town, Nami remembered telling him she was leaving. He wasn't really listening though, he was thinking about Muffy no doubt. These days he always was. Still. At least he was happy.

He might not be tomorrow though, she thought, nearly laughing, as it occured to her that Rock might not have grasped that she would really be gone.

Suddenly she stopped, staring down at the village she was leaving behind. All she could see from her current vantage point were street lamps glowing in the darkness and the talk, hulking forms trees being blown in the wind.

Before finally turning away, she sighed. This moment felt so much like an ending, that she was convinced Forget-Me-Not Valley would soon be nothing more than a memory.

Unbeknownst to her though, this was really only the beginning.

* * *

**A/N -** Phew, that's got to be my longest chapter in ages! I hope everyone enjoyed it. Feel free to tell me how you think through a review, or a PM if you wish.

Next chapter, enter: Cliff. I'm really looking forward to it! See you all next time!


	8. Third Time Lucky

**Disclaimer** - I still don't own Harvest Moon. 

**Author's Note** - Hi! I'm back at last with an update for you all. Also, this chapter isn't quite as long as the last one, sorry, but hopefully it's still enjoyable. And, of course, thanks, as always, to those who reviewed: **Awesome Rapidash**, **Zianna** and **Alien-Child**.

* * *

Third Time Lucky

The first inn Nami visited went by the name of... well, it was difficult to make out under all the soot and grime that covered the sign outside. It was certainly no Inner Inn, that was for sure, though she told herself not to dwell on it. Despite her immediate reservations, however, she decided 'not to judge a book by it's cover'.

It was poor a decision. In short, the first inn Nami visited was a total disaster. Still, she would have braved the lingering unpleasant smells and uneasy atmosphere, if it weren't for the fact that were no vacancies; she hadn't turned into a complete city-type, after all.

Yet natural human nature left Nami feeling quite relieved as she continued in the same direction she'd been travelling for at least a day. The chilled wind and light, yet incessant, snow made it a slightly bittersweet relief, however.

She could only hope that the next inn she stumbled across had vacancies and - though it wasn't a necessity - a reasonable standard of hygeine. It was just plain nice, really. The only problem, however, was the further she travelled - having turned west, away from the ocean, rather than crossing into Mineral Town - the wilder the mountains became. And the wilder they became, the less likely it was that another inn was going to appear around the corner. Or even, she realised a while later, on the very distant horizon.

As darkness began to fall on her first full day of walking, Nami found herself resigned to spending a night in the wilderness. Well. Maybe the use of the word 'wilderness' was a bit misleading. At most there might be the odd raccoon or fox and there were some bushes a few paces to the left - but that was it. It wasn't full of prowling beasts and huge, hulking trees snaking across the landscape like you might imagine.

It certainly wasn't comfortable though. Not unless your version of comfortable involved a blanket of nettles on a bed of stone. Either way it wasn't _Nami's_ version of comfortable, but she somehow managed.

After some careful deliberation, a small sheltered spot between a tiny bush and a withered tree that seemed near death, was her choice of resting spot. It was actually bearable, as the branches went some way to blocking the snowfall and therefore keeping her warm. Or at least not freezing cold, anyway.

Despite the consuming, inky blackness of the night, sleep didn't come easily to the young traveller. She was completely restless in both a mental and physical sense. Physically because of one irritating little branch that would _not_ stop digging into her back and mentally because of the thoughts racing through her head. They were images mainly and they flashed before her eyes like a bizarre slide-show, refusing to budge no matter how much she blinked.

Rock. Ruby. Muffy. The Valley highstreet. The beach at sunrise with the water sparkling. The beach in the dying glow of sun_set_. The woods. Rock _again_. The Blue Bar. _Flora..._

Nami rolled over almost angrily, earning a sharp scratch on the back for her trouble. She barely felt it. All she wanted was some peace for a change.

She stayed awake for most of the night, still tossing and turning discontentedly until the very first light of dawn. She realised, at that point, that her attempts had now been rendered completely and utterly futile, so she sat up gingerly. A familiar throbbing pain juddered up her spine and she knew at once that she'd been right to be cautious. It was always like this though, she remembered, when you had to sleep rough.

For some time it remained too dark for Nami to feel comfortable with carrying on her journey. Instead, she sat back, leaning on her hands and felt the wind roaring in her ears. The snow had long since stopped falling, but the ground was still glittering with a thick, frosty covering. She hadn't really noticed it the night before, but now Nami found the scene around her rather beautiful.

Excitement coursing through her, she scrambled through her bag, eventually ending up with her pen poised and her notebook in hand. She started scribbling furiously, straight away, but soon it became clear that the scene that took shape on her page, was not the scene around her.

Instead, it showed a dusty dirt track sloping gently into the picturesque landscape surrounding it. Woods grew to the right, while the ocean lapped calmly on the left. And in the middle a building stood welcomingly by the roadside, it's name clearly visible in the mid-morning sunlight...

* * *

The second inn Nami visited was a big improvement on the last one. It was simply called The Woodland Inn, as a small wooden sign outside humbly proclaimed. But despite it's simplicity, it was friendly enough. She would have definitely stayed there, as hungry and tired as she was, but the old woman behind the reception desk explained that they were expecting a booking of hikers to arrive later that afternoon.

Nami could only grumble; there was really nothing she could do about it, after all. She would just have to keep hoping that it would be third time lucky.

Thankfully, the The Woodland Inn, though full, did have a tiny restaurant, so she was able to satisfy her aching hunger before carrying on. The food wasn't quite as Ruby would have cooked it, of course, but on her empty stomach Nami found she really couldn't care anymore.

After parting with almost half of the money she had with her, she continued walking along the westbound road. And as the afternoon wore on, it apperared she was going to have to do a hell of a lot of walking! The path got more winding and steep, if anything, with the snow worsening the higher up she travelled.

She was getting steadily more cold and more tired with every weary step, and was soon even comtemplating heading back to The Woodland Inn. Much more of this and she'd beg just to sleep on their floor.

It took all of Nami's resolution to continue walking. Almost as much as it had taken for her to leave the Valley in the first place, which seemed rather ironic. Thoughts of what she had left behind plagued her seemingly endless journey. In fact, she found herself frequently wondering if she was missed by anyone.

Surely, Rock was thinking of her. What was it Muffy had told her? 'Rock's always saying he likes you', wasn't it? So, of course, if that was true then he simply couldn't just forget about her. Not for a while at least.

Out of sudden, blazing anger, Nami kicked a nearby rock too hard and was sent sprawling backwards by the stinging pain that ensued. She hit the ground with a thump, though several inches of snow broke her fall. Much to her horror and dismay, she felt hot, embarrassing tears sliding down her cheeks before she realised what was happening. Worst of all, though, was that she couldn't really say what had caused them. The rock she'd kicked or the Rock back at the Inner Inn.

Suddenly, it occured to Nami just how _funny_ this was and amongst her tears, she ended up snorting with laughter. So much so, in fact, that she failed to hear the sound of footsteps echoing along the path behind her. They got increasingly louder as time went by, but still she didn't notice.

It wasn't until a shadow fell sharply over her shaking form, that Nami became abruptly silent and scrambled hurriedly to her feet. She did this so quickly and so defensively, that the tall, thin stranger who'd been looming over her, leapt back in alarm.

"What d'you want?" she snarled at him. Her blue eyes bored intrusively into his dark ones in the hope of being intimidating. It seemed to work, for a moment, as he looked away from her quickly, his long brown hair falling forward and obscurring his eyes.

When he slowly glanced up again, Nami noticed he looked considerably more sheepish. "I just...wanted to ask if - if you were okay," he mumbled. "You were crying, weren't you?"

Nami glared back. "I wasn't," she retorted swiftly. "I was just resting, that's all."

"Well, you were making a lot of noise in the process!" the boy answered her. The corners of his mouth twitched as he said it, but he didn't dare break out into proper full blown laughter.

Nami, however, had had more than enough of this. "Right. Well thank you for your _concern_," she said sarcastically, before turning away. "But I think I'm gonna be on my way now."

She didn't get very far up the road, though, before she heard the same footsteps crunching in the snow beside her. And with that she simply snapped. "What do you _want_?" the red head yelled at the boy lingering on her right.

He blinked rapidly, but quickly regained his limited composure. "Just happen to be going the same way," he explained, with a vague shrug.

"Oh," was all Nami could think to say to that. Instead, she veered left creating a large gap between her and the slightly weird, scruffy stranger. They walked on in silence, with Nami only stealing the odd glance at her grudgingly acquired companion. She couldn't tell if he was doing the same, as their eyes never met.

"So, what's your name then?" Nami ventured, as the continual silence started to make her feel uneasy.

"Cliff," he answered absently, as though he wasn't really concentrating. Nami, meanwhile, was staring steadfastly at the snow beneath her so she couldn't truly tell. "What's your's then?" he added.

"It's Nami," she told him after the briefest moment of hesitation.

"That's nice," Cliff replied, pleasantly enough. Moments later Nami noticed that the sound of his footsteps seemed to have disappeared. She spun around to see him stood several paces behind her on the trail, frowning down at a large sheet of paper - _a map_.

"What are you doing Cliff?"

Cliff rolled his eyes at her, though blushed deep red almost straight afterwards. "I'm checking the map." He turned back to it, brushing snow off it's surface as the tree he was stood under wasn't providing much shelter. "Y'know, so I know where I'm going."

Nami took a step closer. "Uh-huh. And where might that be?" Considering Cliff's thin frame and undoubtedly bedraggled appearance, she could admit feeling a slight inkling of _where that might be._ Well, it was even more than slight really. It was actually a pretty strong, strange instinct.

It seemed like an age until he looked up to meet her glance. "An Inn. According to this, there's, um, one not far from here. It's a little higher up than we are now, so - so the weather's probably only going to get worse." By this point, he was practically babbling and stumbling nervously over his words. However, it was the next thing he said in a quieter, calmer tone that caused a sudden bolt of familiarity to strike Nami. "I'm hoping it's going to be third time lucky, actually."

Just like that, her suspisions about Cliff were confirmed. She knew then, without having been told, that he was like her. She knew when he said 'third time lucky' that he was referring to the Nameless Inn and the much nicer Woodland Inn - just like she had been when she thought those words herself.

Cliff didn't ask Nami where she was heading; he didn't really need to. She was careful to keep her expression as closed as possible when he revealed his intended destination, but knew the tiniest flicker of recognition in her eyes had most likely betrayed her.

They didn't have to walk much further for the path to become hopelessly narrow and steep and the snow to become much heavier than it had been. It was just like Cliff had predicted and soon enough the inn he mentioned appeared around a corner, drawn back from the road and nestled amongst trees.

By that time, Nami was far too exhausted to care about anything other than paying for her room and falling into bed. Fortunately for both her and Cliff, they had finally found an inn with vacancies. Nami didn't take any of it in though; not the people, not her room, certainly nothing as trivial as the colour of the walls. In fact, it wasn't until the next morning that she discovered the name of the inn - The Lucky Star.

* * *

**A/N** - Well there you have it, another chapter complete! It wasn't as long as the previous one, I realise, but it was necessary. And don't worry, the Cliff x Nami interaction will get much more interesting as the story moves on. Oh, and I should probably explain why Nami and Cliff haven't recognised each other (they met briefly in Chapter 3 in The Blue Bar, for those who don't remember). It's simply because it was indeed a _very_ brief meeting and a_ lot_ has happened to both of them since then. Anyway, thanks for reading and don't forget to review!


	9. Snowflakes In The Wind

**Disclaimer -** I don't own Harvest Moon.

**Author's Note** - Hiya all! Sorry sorry **sorry** for the delayed update. I won't go through my usual excuses as you should all know them by now. Eep! Anyway, apologies aside, I'm actually pretty pleased with this chapter and I hope everyone else enjoys it too. Please, please review if you get the time, as feedback would be very helpful. Finally, thank you to my reviewers: **Awesome Rapidash**, **HMAWLover**, **Alien-Child**, **KireusEarannos** and **Ekoaleko**.

* * *

Snowflakes In The Wind

The Lucky Star, Nami was soon to realise, was a totally different experience from the Inner Inn. Unlike the latter, it was set well away from any nearby towns with the purpose of being more of a brief resting place for passing travellers - hence the name.

It was smaller too, though managed to fit in more rooms. Obviously, they weren't as big as the ones at the Inner Inn, but Nami wasn't at all bothered. She'd survived worse, after all.

Her room was fresh and clean, with walls painted pale blue all over and a slightly chipped hardwood floor. It contained only the bare essentials: a single bed, wardrobe and bedside table complete with a rusty, unreliable alarm clock.

At the back of the room, there was one square window, though there were no frills here; no balconies or stunning sea views. The small sill groaned with the weight of her relics from the mine, which varied from miniature stone statues to ancient silver jewellery.

To sum up, Nami was pretty content with the place. It was just warm and cosy enough on cold Winter's nights and almost endearingly simple. She did wonder, sometimes, if Mr Scruffy across the hall could manage on such a simple existence. That boy was so thin and waif-like, he looked as though a light breeze would knock him over. Certainly not one for the travelling life, that was for sure.

She saw very little of Cliff, anyway, though knew exactly where he was most of the time. He could usually be found hunched in a corner, reading, or else aimlessly wandering around the tiny garden at the back of the Inn. It looked as though it was mostly used for growing crops, but being currently in the grip of an icy Winter, the ground was frozen solid.

Nami, still exhausted due to her tiring journey from the Valley, spent most of her time in her room. One morning she was sat in the small foyer nibbling at a piece of toast, when Cliff shuffled in. As usual, he said nothing, instead opting to flop moodily into an ancient wooden chair near the main entrance. The foyer here was considerably less impressive than the one back in Forget-Me-Not Valley. It was mostly the absence of half a jungle's worth of exotic plants and an endless collection of oriental statues and monuments. She could almost hear Tim reciting some long winded tale of adventures in distant lands, one which they'd all heard a million times before. If she closed her eyes she could almost _see_ him - until a loud, rasping cough filled the room without warning.

Nami's head jerked upwards and her eyes focused icily on the traveller sat opposite. She sent him a glare that bordered on malicious, before taking out her sketch pad. Stupid boy didn't even have the decency to look sorry for spoiling the peace. He _did_ look rather frail though...

She shrugged, her fingers moving up slowly to flick boredly through the pages. Sketches appeared briefly and then vanished just as fast; some were largely unfinished while others had been completed with dedicated precision. It was all a matter of interest really. She had several line drawings of Rock, for instance, none of which were at all complete. There was only one of Flora - though she skipped past it without so much as a glance. The very last picture - the one of the Inner Inn in the morning sunlight - was something of an oddity. It was the only piece drawn without the source material right in front of her. And yet it was just possibly the best. Being the artist it was difficult for her to judge, but surely anyone could see how vivid and carefully drawn it was in comparison with the others. The fact that it had been sketched while she was sleeping rough had to count for something, too.

Another cough broke through both the silence and her thoughts. This one was much quieter, and when Nami did finally look up in irritation, Cliff didn't spare her so much as even the tiniest glance. His dark brown eyes skittered back and forth over the yellowing pages of a tattered, old book instead.

Nami peered at the title - then froze. She felt a sensation similar to having ice cold water poured all over her, only much worse. It seemed as though her whole _body_ was being consumed by the bitter, numbing chill, including her brain, it appeared, as her thoughts seemed to screech to a halt all at once.

Leaning foward further, almost to the point of sliding from her seat, Nami frowned again at the book. It just couldn't be, she told herself firmly. But her argument was soon to die, as Cliff changed the poistion of his arms slightly and she gained a better view. It was there for all to see, clear and indisputable. The title, though faded with time, proclaimed very simply: 'Forget-Me-Not Valley'.

Nami stared at it for quite some minutes, as she digested the shock of seeing something so familiar to her. Cliff, this weird, thin stranger, knew about the Valley? Okay, so there wasn't a rule that made it exclusive to her, but still! It was just plain...odd. Without warning or explanation or any sign whatsoever, she suddenly had a damn _connection_ with this boy. No one said it had to _mean_ anything, of course, but Nami wasn't thinking of that. It irritated her deeply was all she knew - and, as a result, all she could concentrate on.

Her blue eyes stayed trained on the boy, never once leaving him, as she thought hard. Memories flashed in front of her suddenly, like they'd been dredged from the very depths of her mind. The storm and the dog and the farmer. Yeah, she remembered it now; that stupid yapping mutt with it's equally stupid name, who turned up during all that awful weather at the start of Summer. The owner came back to her, too, as clearly as though she had met him only yesterday. _Jack_, that was him. He was tall with chocolate brown hair, warm dark eyes and - the book was _his_, she realised abruptly. Tim had given it to him, hadn't he? So what, then, was _this_ guy doing with it - ?

"Um...excuse me?"

As imersed as she was in her musings, Nami could barely stop herself from leaping up at being addressed. "What?" she snapped angrily at Cliff, as his expression changed ever so slightly from confused to amused. It was only the tiniest of changes, though, and one she surely would not have noticed, had she not been watching him so intently.

"It's just..." For the first time ever, he sounded vaguely embarrassed, and hesitated, "W - well, you've kind of been..._staring_...at me for ages now. I was only wondering why..."

"I have not!" Nami interrupted, mortified, before he could go on. Her face was beginning to burn - she could feel it - so she said quickly the first thing that came into her head. "Why have you got Jack's book?"

Nami knew it wasn't the most sensible thing she could have brought up, but even she couldn't predict quite the effect her words would have.

Silence, thick and tension filled, descended over the room instantly. Any lingering trace of amusement had vanished from Cliff's face and his eyes had turned stormy and black. It was almost frightening. "My girlfriend, Ann, gave me this book," he said shortly, in a low voice. "It was a birthday present."

For the briefest of seconds, he met her eyes almost wonderingly, as if unsure about her. Then, without another word, he tucked the book into his jacket pocket and made to stand up.

Nami was equally perplexed. There was something very weird about all this, she just couldn't quite put her finger on it. Somehow, through the book, all four of them were connected. An irritating, niggling sensation in the back of her mind, told her she already knew the answer. But it simply would _not_ come to her. 'My girlfriend, Ann', he'd said. _Ann._..

And just like that it hit her. The Blue Bar. And Muffy and Stone Oils and - and - _them. _Ann and Cliff. _That's_ where she knew them from. So...Ann, Cliff and Jack were all from the town on the other side of Mother's Hill, were they? Mineral Town.

"Wait!"

Without giving herself time to properly consider her actions, Nami was on her feet. She rushed after Cliff, out of the main foyer and along the hall towards the narrow stairway. At the top was another corridor where the rooms were. Cliff, she noticed, was about to enter his as she leapt hurriedly up the steps.

"Wait!" she called again, half-panting and highly annoyed by the fact that he wasn't listening. "I've remembered where I know you from." Cliff's response to this news was decidedly unimpressed. He only raised his eyebrows in disbelieving silence, and if there was any curiosity on his face, Nami couldn't spot it.

"You came into the Blue Bar with your girlfriend Ann, didn't you? It was during the Summer and, if I remember rightly, you made some stupid fuss about the taste of Stone Oils...?" After a while, Nami's words simply trailed off and she could only wait anxiously for Cliff's reaction.

He said nothing for second, frowning as he appeared to think over what she'd said. Slowly, he began to nod. "Yeah...I remember..." he told her distantly. There may have been the slightest twitch of a smile at the mention of the Stone Oils, but that was all the humour Nami could detect. In fact, Cliff looked distinctly _un_happy if anything.

Twirling a strand of brown hair distractedly, he stepped a little closer to her, the look on his face becoming increasingly pained. "What made you say this was _Jack's_ book?" he asked.

"Well, I know a guy called Jack _definitely_ turned up at the Inn where I was staying and was given this book by the owner - "

" - How do you know it was this _exact_ book?" Cliff interrupted. By that point, there was no mistaking the slight edge of desperation in his voice.

In fact - though she wasn't even sure why - Nami did feel quite bad about the reply she had to give. "I don't think any books about a place as small as Forget-Me-Not Valley were ever mass produced," she explained slowly, carefully avoiding eye contact. "This could even be the only one. " She paused suddenly, as the memory of a conversation with a certain person shortly after Jack's visit returned to her. "And I think if you turn to the back page you'll find some writing. In pencil, I believe."

Obediently almost, Cliff produced the book without a hint of suspicion and flicked straight to the back. His eyes widened hugely as they scanned the page. "Oh! I never noticed that before. _R loves M_...who are they?"

A rare, but small and secretive smile graced Nami's lips. "It doesn't matter."

Cliff, though, didn't look all that interested and certainly didn't pursue the matter. Instead, he was rather sadly examining the book in his hands. "Tell me," he said abruptly, surprising Nami. "Did Jack get this book before or after the sixth of Summer?"

"Er...before, I think. Yeah, definitely." She waited curiously for an explanation, but it never came.

Without adding anything more than, "Well, that figures," Cliff turned wearily back to his room.

Inexplicably, Nami felt as though she should say something - anything, even. "Are - are you okay?" she spluttered. Not _that_, she thought, cursing herself furiously.

Cliff stopped to give her a half-amused smile as he went to enter his room. "Sure," he assured her. "Thank you." And with that the door snapped shut. _Thank you?_ Nami wondered. _For what?_ As far as she could tell, her strange conversation with Cliff had only managed to worsen his mood. Not the other way around.

* * *

In the days that followed their bizarre conversation, Nami and Cliff resumed their usual indifference towards each other. There was no mention at all of what had been said - or of anything else for that matter. They simply went back to treating each other like strangers, which, in all truth, they really were. It wasn't until one bitterly cold evening towards the end of the season, that things took an unexpected turn.

The correct historical term for such an event, Nami knew, was a 'turning point'. The language she'd _personally_ use to describe it, however, was much more colourful.

It was snowing heavily that evening and the wintery storm was widely expected to be the last of the year. Nami had the curtains at the window pulled firmly shut in a desperate, yet probably futile bid to keep her room as warm as possible. It was clearly wasn't working, though, as she sat hunched up on her pillow, her sketchbook perched precariously on her knees. She was looking through the pictures for no other reason than the lure was too great. It was the same every night. The book came almost unconsciously and, as always, it was as if there was nothing she could do about it.

A quiet knock broke through the peace suddenly and Nami looked up towards the door, surprise written all over her face. No one _ever_ visited her room. In fact, the knock had sounded _so_ quiet and gentle that it could well have been her over-active imagination playing tricks on her.

But no. Another knock sounded, this one much more urgent and insistent, forcing Nami to go and answer it however grudgingly. She sighed as she twisted the handle, trying to appear exasperated rather than interested. The illusion died instantly when her ill-diguised sigh turned forcibly into a gasp as she recognised her guest.

"Cliff!" Nami exclaimed. She changed her voice to breathy in an attempt to conceal her shock at seeing him, but it didn't really seem to work. "What d'you want?" Rude though it may of sounded, Nami felt perfectly justified: they'd hardly even seen each other over the past few days.

Cliff's response was to smile shyly, while Nami's was confusion. "This might sound weird," he warned her. "But I was just wondering if you were using your alarm clock?"

Whatever Nami had been expecting, it certainly wasn't that. She was understandably shocked. And so much so, in fact, that her next words spilled out before she could think them through. "No. No, I'm not."

Apparently, this was good news for Cliff as he grinned, which was a rarity. "Oh, great," he smiled, looking relieved. "Well could I possibly borrow it? Mine's just broken and I don't really want to go down to the foyer about it. I hate causing a fuss."

Numbly, his host nodded, allowing him to follow her into the room. For some reason, Nami had been expecting something much less mundane than _alarm clocks_ to come from Cliff's visit. She shook her head as she grabbed it off the bedside table. "Doesn't really work, though," she informed him, looking significantly at the rust. "At least _I_ couldn't get it to set properly."

"That's fine," he answered, taking it gratefully from her. "Thanks." They lasped into silence after that, while Cliff's dark eyes scanned the room curiously. There was something good-natured about the smile on his face that put Nami at ease. She was sure anyone else would have been chucked out by now...

"You've got a garden view," Cliff commented pleasantly. He was currently squinting through the tiniest of gaps between her curtains and shook his head, sighing, "All I've got to look at's the road!"

In spite of this being the drivelling, utterly pointless conversation she usually despised, Nami found herself laughing. She would almost go as far as to call herself content. Until, however, he glanced around and his eyes landed elsewhere. Until it all started to go wrong.

"You draw?" Cliff asked her, staring at the abandoned notebook on her bed. In one fluid movement, he'd crossed room and was within touching distance of it. Naturally, Nami flew into protective mode and was right at his shoulder.

"I do...yeah," she replied, feeling slightly uneasy again. The pad was lying open at one of her favourite sketches, actually. It was of Rock sat by the window in the foyer, staring down at Muffy as she wandered the beach. Muffy had no idea she was being watched and Rock, likewise, had no idea _he_ was being sketched. Not knowing he was being drawn apparently brought out the best in Rock. All of her others featuring him involved a lot of mucking around and complete stupidity as he loved to show off.

"Is that y - your boyfriend?" Cliff frowned. There was such a sad, soft, almost understanding tone to his voice that Nami's heart nearly skipped a beat. But he was wrong, totally wrong. And he had officially overstepped the mark.

Annoyance erupted inside her, causing a supposedly simple "No" to escape her lips in a furious shout. She reached instinctively for her book, but Cliff was just a little faster.

"I know how you feel, you know," he said, stepping back out of her way and flicking through the next pages. "I honestly - "

"You _don't!" _Nami yelled. Her mind was racing with thoughts, as she became so suddenly overwhelmed with the situation. How dare he - how _dare_ he involve himself with what so obviously did not concern him. How dare he try to understand her...

"You shouldn't cling to memories," Cliff babbled, sounding as though he was trying convince himself too. "That's all I'm saying." But Nami had had more than enough. Her hand flew out and made a desperate grab for her notebook. There was a loud tear. Silently, one half of her perfected Rock-sketch floated to the ground.

Cliff watched it breathlessly, his eyes flashing with belated regret. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry - "

Rage swelled inside Nami, as anger coursed through her veins. She wasn't aware of picking up the horse statue from the window sill - or of flinging it, full pelt, towards the door frame. "_GET OUT!"_ she shrieked. There was a satisfying crash as the stone shattered, and the door did finally close then.

Breathing heavily, Nami stalked back to her bed, picking up the book Cliff had dropped on her way. _How dare he?_ she kept thinking. He had _no_ right to tell her how she should feel. He didn't even _know_ her, for Goddess sake!

Her heart was racing painfully as she glanced through her beloved sketchpad, examining the pictures carefully. They _were_ only memories she reminded herself pointedly. Her blue eyes flickered backwards to the torn piece of paper on the floor. _Only memories... _

Suddenly, blinded by her anger, Nami's fingers began working furiously at the spine of the book. Her fingernails, as sharp and damaging as they were, tore through the thin paper with ease. It was a frenzied, mad thing to do, but somehow she just couldn't stop herself. Within a matter of moments, the remnants of the Valley lay sadly in her hands, now rendered no more than a few scraps of paper.

Nami felt nauseous all of a sudden. Was it guilt? Or a twisted form of relief? She knew it _should_ be relief; she'd started her escape from the meories that tied her down after all. But...all she knew, just then, was that she needed to get to the window.

Rushing over and yanking it open, Nami hurriedly threw the contents of her hands into the cold night. Ironically, the scraps of paper fluttered away calmly, merging with the snowflakes as they twirled and danced into the dark night air.


	10. Letters To A Lover

**Disclaimer -** I still don't own Harvest Moon.

**Author's notes -** Once again I must apologise for the delay. Sorry to everyone who was waiting for the next chapter! I've got really important exams coming up, so the next update may also be a little late. Thanks, as always, to my reviewers: **Alien-Child**, **Zianna** and **Gannayev**. Thank you all so much!

* * *

Letters To A Lover

Winter was fast fading. Snow turned slowly to sleet and hail and then again into the infrequent rain showers so common to Spring. Trees blossomed into various beautiful shades of pink seemingly overnight and the tiny garden at the back of the Inn finally thawed.

Personally, Nami felt very grateful for the onset of a much warmer season. It provided her with the perfect opportunity to make her long-planned departure from the Lucky Star Inn. Ever since her heated exchange with Cliff, the traveller's opinion of the place had soured greatly. Now all she wanted was to get away.

She ignored him pointedly, but, in truth, it wasn't all that necessary. Cliff kept to himself more than ever now, only shooting her the occasional glance over breakfast or while they sat in the foyer. It bothered Nami that she was bothered by him...if that made any sense. The point was, he was a stranger and he had no right to say the things he did. It was none of his business whatsoever.

The idea that he could _understand_ how she felt about Forget-Me-Not Valley was ridiculous.

In fact, Nami was perfectly content to have detatched herself from the place. Though there was _one_ thing she truly regretted about destroying her pictures: the notebook. It was ruined. And she couldn't remember going so long without delving into it, simply seeing something and just _having_ to put it onto paper. Not being able to express herself whenever she felt like it drove her mad, but she knew she simply had to bear it. Ultimately, it was for the best.

Next to go were her trinkets from the dig site. Nami took them into the maze of trees that lined the main road and returned them to the place from which they had been taken. The ground. She buried every last find, with the exception of one. It was a simple silver necklace adorned with one large, droplet-shaped chunk of amethyst. Part of the reason it appealed to Nami so much was that it was her first worthwhile find from the excavation. Internally - though she tried not to make a big deal out of it - she'd been thrilled when Carter agreed that she could keep it. And Flora...well actually, now Nami thought of it, Flora wasn't there that particular day, so she'd never seen the necklace.

In any case, Nami couldn't stand to be parted with something that beautiful and so wandered back to the Inn with it hanging around her neck. She wasn't feeling particularly happy about what she'd done, but was cheered up considerably by the look on Cliff's face as she passed him on the way in. He spotted her muddy clothes instantly and looked completely horrified, obviously having jumped to the conclusion that she had been up to something - disposing of a body, perhaps. Nami couldn't help smirking in return, despite knowing he would think her insane. Or at least more so than he already did.

Completely and utterly _furious_ with him though she was, there was a tiny part of his shy, nervous personality she'd miss. But maybe she was simply searching for another Rock. They had totally different personalities, of course, and yet Nami could still see a strange kind of connection. She didn't like to even think it, let alone admit it, but she rather enjoyed having somebody to argue with. Dependency on another was something she'd long since managed to escape and she was proud of that. But there was nothing wrong with wanting a bit of company every now and then, was there?

That, Nami told herself, was a totally different matter entirely. There was nothing weird about never becoming attached, either. She was just careful that was all.

It didn't take long for Nami's good mood to evaporate upon her return to the Inn. After his intial shock at the sight of her, Cliff departed and vanished down the road in his usual silent fashion, while Nami trudged out into the garden.

Oddly enough, the air out there seemed clearer and sharper than anything she'd experienced all morning. It was fitting, though, as the garden itself was something of a secluded haven. Little stone steps led from the back entrance down to a well kept, but slightly cramped lawn. The size, combined with the rocks and trees that encircled the area, made it feel very enclosed. Nami rather liked the privacy and serenity. True, the view wasn't the most stunning; a straightforward choice of either Inn or woodland. But if she stood in the centre of the grass, her view of the sky was as crystal as the air that surrounded her.

"Almost therapeutic, isn't it?"

Nami spun curiously at the voice, too relaxed to even jump. She smiled none too falsely when she realised who it was. "Hello, Marion."

A small, round woman with neatly curled grey hair and frighteningly floral trousers was descending the steps. She was The Star's elderly owner and was currently carrying a lime green watering can down to the garden. Presumably to water the patch of newly planted turnips. "I don't often see you here, Nami," she commented pleasantly, offering the traveller a welcoming smile. She wandered down to the stream that ran through the bottom of the garden. Meanwhile, Nami shrugged.

"I do see plenty of that lovely boy, though," Marion continued, lugging the can over to the freshly tilled earth.

_Lovely?_ Nami struggled to supress a disbelieving snort. Clearly, Marion hadn't heard the commotion from her room during the last snowstorm of Winter. Lovely, indeed! "Yeah...er, Cliff's okay, I guess," she managed eventually.

The older woman chuckled, "He's just so sweet, isn't he? I'm surprised you two haven't become firm friends."

Nami's smile became utterly transparent, all of a sudden. "Me too," she muttered, grudgingly. Obviously, Marion didn't have a clue what she was talking about. She was a nice enough woman - who reminded Nami forcibly of Nina - but, like almost everyone else, couldn't stop interfering in other people's business.

"I do understand," Marion said just then, interrupting Nami's annoyed musings. The red-head stared at her blankly. "You don't run an Inn for over twenty years, without picking up a few things about the travelling life."

Marion finished watering the crops and stood, leaving Nami utterly speechless. She found that, no matter how hard she searched around, a suitable reply evaded her. In the end, she returned to her usual nonchalant shrug. Marion was more concerned with the weeds inching nearer to her vegetable patch, and didn't notice.

She shook her head, sighing, "They'll have to be pulled up." Before she knew it, Nami was smiling; Marion was clearly more of a Vesta than a Nina personality-wise.

"Want any help?" The words were out before Nami could stop herself, but she didn't regret them. Marion's surprise at the gesture didn't escape her notice, either. But not even that bothered her. She was soon busily de-weeding the trunips, finding it almost as calming as sketching. Not as creative, of course, yet it felt just as worthwhile. Calm seeped into Nami, the like of which she hadn't felt for years.

She allowed herself a moment of tranquility, but then crashed back as she remembered her plan to leave.

Just like that it ebbed away.

* * *

Only a few days later peace, tranquility, serenity - or any other similar term, for that matter - was as far removed from Nami's mind as possible. After what she'd discovered, her thoughts were a total blank. She just didn't know _what_ to think and, most unhelpfully, her emotions left behind no clue. Only a gaping hole of shock remained, and what good was that to anyone? Would pity soon edge in? Hopefully not; it really wasn't her thing. Curiosity? Better again, but then that was what got her into the situation in the first place.

The phrase 'curiosity killed the cat', had never been more appropriate. Except for the fact that Nami wasn't dead. In fact, she hadn't suffered any horrific consequences at all. Strange as it might sound, that was the most annoying thing. You see, Nami _knew_ she should feel relieved at getting away with what she did. But instead the worst imaginable, _knawing_ guilt plagued her from the inside out. Pity was definitely on it's way, she realised in defeat.

And who would have thought that all that turmoil could be caused by just one person? Even more surprising was their identity. Or not, of course, when you considered the wonderful run of 'luck' Nami had been 'blessed' with. _Ha..._

Her day started quite simply and as normally as any other. Cliff wandered off after breakfast, his destination unknown to all, while Nami found herself spiralling helplessly into utter boredom. She reminded herself pointedly that she'd be leaving very soon, but the thought did little to elevate her mood. Nothing did, just lately. Plus, it seemed that she'd wanted to move on for ages and hadn't actually done anything about it.

That was becoming the story of her life, she thought, stomping up to her room. There was a window at the end of the corridor, overlooking the road outside. It was a beautifully sunny morning and so a rectangle of light fell across the dusty floorboards. Briefly, Nami stopped to look out at the blue Spring sky. She grimaced. The sight only reminded her of how much time had passed since she decided to leave.

As she marched blindly towards her room, Nami very nearly missed it. It, if you were wondering, was nothing more than a simple, seemingly insignificant book. So insignificant, in fact, that Nami was forced to backtrack as she only just noticed it out of the corner of her eye.

It was lying on the floor, the spine facing upwards and the pages splayed outwards. Clearly, it had fallen. Fallen from a bag perhaps - or, if it had been hastily shoved there, a jacket pocket...

With a jolt, Nami recognised the door just inches away as Cliff's. So the book - she edged forward slightly and read the title - was most _definitely_ his. _'Forget-Me-Not Valley',_ she read, swallowing hard. Just looking at the fading cover illustration was enough to make her throat tighten uncomfortably. Her memories, the ones she'd been deperately trying to escape, caught up with her and she made no effort to stop them.

After only the briefest of pauses, Nami crouched down and scooped the book up. But before she could open it, before she could even scan the back, there was a liquid swish as a wad of papers came loose and slid to the floor.

Nami blinked at them, at first not even the slightest bit curious. The book resting in her arms demanded far more interest, although she couldn't help peering only quickly at the pile on the floor. Letters; they were letters, her first glance told her. Of course, once she knew that, she could concentrate on nothing else. Who had written them? Had they been recieved? Or were they, as yet and possibly permanently, unsent?

The book was discarded, while Nami cursed her own weakness. She leant down again, realising that she didn't recognise the cramped handwriting. No surprise, really, though it certainly didn't dampen her enthusiasm. For a moment, the excitement and curiosity pulsing through her veins told her that nothing could.

But she was swiftly proved wrong.

As her eyes locked onto the intended recipient's name, it seemed to leap right out of the page at her. Nami gasped in shock, rocking backwards away from the letter. The temperature seemed to plunge abruptly and she knew suddenly that the only thing to keep her reading on was morbid curiosity.

_Dear Ann..._

Oh, she remembered that girl well enough all right. The skinny, flame-headed little thing, who turned up at the Blue Bar with Cliff and almost instantly asserted herself as his girlfriend. Nami wasn't sure what to make of her at first, but she seemed nice enough. And she sure liked Cliff. Later, after the meeting in the Bar, Rock told Nami he'd seen the couple (who he'd bizarrely dubbed The Townies) kissing quite passionately on the beach. Sure enough, he'd wolf-whistled.

Now, as she stared intently at the letter, Nami couldn't help wondering what had happened to the promising young couple. Somehow, she knew she wasn't going to enjoy what she read next...

..._I can't believe how weak I am._ _I've only just left Mineral Town and already I've caved in to write you this letter. Do you remember me promising I'd write? Well, it wasn't that long ago, so you must do. I just... I feel so stupid, Ann. It's freezing, I've only just gotten off a ferry and... I've suddenly realised that this isn't what I want. Already, I'm missing you, Ann. How mad is that? We hugged just hours ago, for Goddess sake! _

_You wanted me to stay, didn't you? And stupidly I refused to listen. I wish now that I'd fought for you, instead of doing the noble thing and letting go. It's crazy because you might not even get with Jack. Not ever. Oh, Goddess what if we both stay alone? Alone, but apart. That would be completely ridiculous. I don't even know if I'm going to post this yet, but I do know I can't stay away. Leaving Mineral Town was madness. And I love you, Ann. What was I thinking? What - _

The letter ended there. Nami flipped it over in search of a conclusion, but found only a blank page. Obviously, Cliff had decided against sending it. For a while, she sat in stunned silence, struggling to absorb what she'd read.

Cliff had _loved_ Ann. Really loved her. But she was supposedly with Jack. The same Jack that had turned up at the Inner Inn? The one who took Tim's book? It had to be. The same Jack who'd given the book to Ann... of _course. _Suddenly, things were clicking into place in Nami's mind.

Numbly, her fingers tingling strangely, she leafed through the remaining letters. Some were already yellowing, while others were stained and torn. Hardly any were in pristine condition. They had clearly been read and then re-read over and over again.

Nami didn't stop to study any of the others in great depth, but certain parts lept out at her as she scanned. Each time she felt the same pitying stab.

_...I miss you so much, Ann. I hope you're doing well, but... I miss you. There. I wish I could pretend I didn't, but I do..._

_...Do you miss _me_?..._

_...I'm doing quite well now, Ann. Things are looking up. Hey, maybe I'll even mail this letter! So, are things going well for you? I really hope so. With Jack? You know, on second thoughts, maybe I won't..._

Finally, when she'd taken all she could, Nami sat up and dragged her eyes away. She could feel her face blushing to the roots of her flaming hair at the intense embarrassment of knowing the thoughts of a stranger so intimately. It sickened her to imagine someone knowing this much about _her. _

Nami's intentions were good as she went to stand, but it was then that she noticed the most recent letter. Her sharp, blue eyes focused on it and she simply froze. It was _really_ recent. Wrote only weeks or even days ago, judging by the content. It had to be, as Nami had only just told Cliff about his book originally belonging to Jack. Nami didn't read on to find out how he felt about this news. She couldn't bear to.

Shoving the letters back in place, she dropped the book and pounded away down the corridor. Despite her efforts, Nami couldn't help fearing that Cliff would find her out. What if the the letters had been in a special order? What if he just _knew?_

She skidded to an abrupt halt in the foyer, as something became instantly clear. Her heart was racing along and her mind whirling, but she knew what to do. She simply had to leave. Simple as that really: just get away.

Not tomorrow, or next week. _Now._


	11. Departure

**Disclaimer -** I don't own it.

**Author's Note - **Yay! A new chapter posted and, for once, it's not incredibly late. My GCSEs start very soon, though, so there's a chance the next one _will_ be slightly delayed. Sorry about that. Anyway, thank you to those who reviewed - **Alien-Child**, **Zianna**, **Awesome Rapidash** and **Gannayev** - and enjoy the next installment!

* * *

Departure

As darkness fell over the Lucky Star Inn, Nami was preparing to leave. It had become rather a Now or Never moment as far as she was concerned. True, she wasn't at all sure where she'd go, but it was a situation she was highly familiar with. In fact, if it wasn't for the swooping sensation of guilt that whirled sickeningly in her stomach, she might even feel excited.

The final straw for Nami came during dinner. She was sat in a quiet corner of the old-fashioned dining room, keeping as far away from a group of passing hikers as possible, when Cliff walked in. He barely looked at her, he didn't accuse her of anything and he didn't even go all that near her. But his presence alone did more than enough. Nami felt her insides twist with pity and had stumbled to her feet before she knew it.

Her eyes fixed squarely on the door, she crossed the room without once looking back. If she _had_ glanced around she would have noticed Cliff watching her intently, a curious look written across his face. She didn't need to see him, though: she was sure she could feel his stare almost burning into her back.

Nami told herself she was simply being paranoid. She headed quickly for the stairs, taking them two, then three steps at a time. No footsteps echoed after her, but her over-active mind kept telling her that she wasn't alone. Out of breath and panting heavily, she reached the landing and skidded wildly across it.

These were the worst moments. The sudden insecurities that she couldn't shift, that ones that seemed so irrational, yet perfectly reasonable at the same time. Cliff didn't _know _what she'd read, and there was no reason whatsoever for him to suspect her. Besides, she was leaving, wasn't she? That was what she needed to focus on. Nothing else mattered, especially not him.

There was a piercing squeak as Nami flung open her door a little too enthusiastically. For a moment, she froze in the threshold, realising that this would be the very last time she saw the place. She scanned the clean sheets of her bed, the rickety wooden furniture and the tiny window, with only a mere hint of a sigh. Sure, she might miss them initially, but knew from experience that it wouldn't last long. And right now there was little time for sentiment.

_Pack. _She had to pack. Jerking back to life, Nami scattered across the room, throwing things hurriedly into her battered rucksack. Unsurprisingly, it didn't take very long. So that was it, then. She was done. Allowing herself one last glance around, Nami slung her few possesions over her shoulder and made for the door, her heart heavier than she expected.

It was only when she was half-way across the landing, that she remembered something quite important. Paying for the room she'd been living in for the best part of a season. Nami looked up and down the corridor somewhat nervously. She only had to think of Marion's smiling face and friendly nature to find herself wincing. There were times in her past - _not_ ones she was particularly fond of remembering - where a less than desirable exit had been made. Sometimes, though, there was nothing else she could do. Sometimes she was utterly desperate and circumstances made it all too easy to sucumb to temptation. But it wasn't as though Nami was without a conscience.

Slowly, she swung the bag onto the floor and began searching through her belongings. Even before she started, it felt like a fruitless exercise. It didn't take much time for her to locate what she'd been so half-heartedly looking for - a little velvet bag in a faded scarlet colour. And, as she fully expected, it felt crushingly light. Sure enough, when it was emptied the contents turned out to be a huge disappointment. Coins cascaded onto the floor, glinting invitingly in the dim lamplight - but the rush soon stopped. Bitter disappointment sank into Nami as she realised they were too few. Too few by far. She didn't feel at all panicked, simply resigned to the horrible decision she was going to have to make.

There were two clear choices. Humiliating though it would undoubtedly be, she could always just offer Marion what little she had. Marin was a kind woman and would probably understand if she couldn't manage the full amount. That was obviously the preferable option, but of course, it would leave her without any money to survive on. Nami chewed her bottom lip compulsively, as she sadly mulled things over.

She couldn't do this, she just couldn't...

* * *

The night was bitterly cold for Spring. It was a clear evening with the stars shining through the trees that lined the roadside and the moonlight casting a path across the ground. A peaceful silence hung in the cold air, punctuated only by the occasional squirrel scurrying from one side of the path to the other.

And something else. Something out of place. Just audible over the gentle breeze was a far more human noise; the sound of quick, shallow breathing from someone lurking just out of sight, amongst the shadows. The semi-calm dragged on for only moments before it was interrupted by the approach of distant footsteps.

Nami, exhausted and panting as she leant back against a tree trunk, couldn't fail to hear them. Heavy footsteps that snapped twigs and scuffed dirt and echoed all along the pathway. She groaned wearily.

In a strange sort of reply, the footsteps appeared to halt just metres away. "I know you're there," said a soft voice. There was a pause in which Nami contemplated answering. "And I know what happened," it added quietly.

"Do you?" Nami snapped, her voice cleverly hiding the fear that sent her heart pounding. She pushed herself upright and jumped down the banking onto the dusty, moonlit path. Just as she expected, Cliff stared back at her from where he stood. They faced each other for a brief moment, as Nami carefully considered his words. _I know... _but what exactly? Not about the letters, surely? Please not that...

Deciding that she wasn't about to wait and find out, Nami turned abruptly on her heel and stalked away. She hadn't run very far from the Inn in the first place, so still hadn't put as much space between her and it as she'd like. Ideally, she'd have gotten right away after, well...what happened...but ended up out of breath almost instantly. The guilt didn't exactly help either.

Cliff pounded along after her. "Where are you going?" he called out. His voice still contained an air of confidence that was unusual to him. Almost like he already knew. Or rather thought he did.

Angrily, Nami whipped around. Her sudden halt was too fast for Cliff who struggled not to crash into her. "I'm sorry," she murmured, barely giving him time to straighten up again. It was easier, though, as she didn't have to look him in the eye. "I know I shouldn't have done it, but... I'm sorry, okay?"

"Well... no, you shouldn't have done it. But why apologise to me?" Cliff frowned.

There was a horrible pause. Nami's mind was working furiously to comprehend what he meant, but she couldn't seem to figure it out. "And who else do _you_ think I should say sorry to?" she managed to hiss. This time, irritatingly, she heard the slight wobble in her voice and realised it had betrayed her nerves.

Cliff, however, looked both shocked and confused by her heated response. "Marion!" he blurted out. "You know, the woman whose Inn you've been staying in for the past few weeks? And didn't pay for," he added somewhat bitterly. Nami flinched as cold realisation hit, while Cliff's dark eyes narrowed suddenly. "Wait - What did you _think_ I meant?"

_"Nothing!"_ Nami's mind kicked back into life and she sought quickly to change the subject. The one she landed on was hardly desirable, yet much better the current danger. "How - how d'you know I didn't pay?"

"Saw you," he answered simply. "But that's not the point. You feel guilty because of something you've done to _me_, don't you?"

The world spun around Nami. "No!" she insisted. "No. Jus - Just leave me alone, okay? Stay out of my business." Once again she turned to move away, but this time Cliff was too quick for her. His hand clasped around her slim shoulder, making her shiver and wrench away in anger. "Look, I don't owe you anything, so just - "

"Oh yes, you do!" Cliff retorted, stunning her into silence. He seemed to wither under her stare and could only just manage to stutter his next few words. "I - I paid Marion. Both my fee and _your's_. I m - made out that we were travelling together now, so she wouldn't think it was weird... It just - seemed like the right thing to do..." Cliff trailed off into silence, as his companion struggled to absorb this new, uncomfortable information.

"I bet you're a right little saver, aren't you?" she gritted out eventually, looking him up and down. This could _not_ get anymore humiliating, surely. He'd _paid_ for her!? He'd actually watched her run off and then decided to step in and do the _noble_ thing. It was so utterly unbelievable.

"I did keep a little money back from my old job, yes," he admitted. Cliff's usually pale complexion had reddened slightly at Nami's less than grateful reaction. He was, perhaps, cursing the very day he met her.

"Your job at the Vineyard?" the red-head finished for him, remembering a particular sentence from his letters. In fact, he frequently mentioned the job a certain farmer had helped him acquire.

This time, Cliff reverted to his normal ghostly pallor. "How do you know that?" he whispered. Nami, fuelled by her fury and burning humiliation, noticed his shock - and she pounced instinctively, like a lion closing in on it's prey.

What followed was an unpleasant blur. All Nami wanted was to hurt Cliff. And she made damn certain that she succeeded. She threw every bitter truth she could find at him, no longer caring how he felt about her reading his most intimate secrets in those letters. Deep down, though - _very_ deep down - she knew he'd only been trying to help.

But it was that which she couldn't handle. His sympathy and his interference - it just wasn't right. Cliff's stunned expression was the last thing she saw, before turning roughly away. Leaving him completely speechless, she vanished into the surrounding darkness.

* * *

The night was bitterly cold for Spring. Leaves rustled. Stars shined. Squirrels scurried...and so on. Most notable, however, was the lone figure stood beneath the trees on the roadside. They hardly seemed to move, frozen, instead, in quiet reflection. Moments passed, but the heavy silence continued unbroken.

It was Cliff, not Nami, that leant back against the tree trunk this time. And it was her, rather than him, who wandered back along the road, knowing exactly where to find the other. In some bizarre way, it was as though their roles had been reversed.

Cliff slowly lifted his head as he heard soft footsteps growing nearer. Sure enough, an unhappy looking Nami was stood nearby, her arms folded tightly across her chest and her face almost grey with strain. "You didn't get very far," he commented, hopping down exactly like she had done earlier. If Cliff had been wearing a watch, he would have glanced at it.

"I know," Nami nodded. She wanted to apologise, but her words caught in her throat and came out as a ridiculous jumble. "I, um, only got so far when my conscience caught up and tackled me to the ground with threats of a serious beating."

"Fair enough."

Nami tried in vain to smile back at him. Instead, she ended up mumbling: "You really should hate me, y'know. I didn't mean to come across your letters, but I still read them, didn't I? I do my own thing in life and the one thing that's always got to me is people trying to understand or deciding to interfere. But that's exactly what I did to you. And I can't believe I shouted those things at you, telling you you were pathetically clinging on to your past life. How horrible is that? And, besides, I'm not one to talk..." Even as she spoke, Nami's fingers were twining nervously around her amethyst pendant. She could nearly feel the purple stone burning at her very last words.

A long, weary pause greeted the speech. "...I don't hate you." Cliff shook his head emphatically, his messy ponytail swaying along. "Though you were partly right. There _is_ no point in clinging to Ann. She's probably with Jack now. She's probably happy."

It was Nami's turn to disagree. "She might not be. Look, if you love Ann - and I can tell you do - you can't just give up like that. You didn't leave Mineral Town all that long ago, so who knows? You shouldn't ever give up." By the time she was done, Nami's cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. Personally, she couldn't believe how corny that had sounded.

But Cliff didn't seem to think so. "Oh, I don't know," he sighed. "Maybe you're right, maybe you're not." He walked a little way past Nami, and then stopped to look at her. "Come on then."

"Excuse me?" It was only then that she noticed the bag slung over his shoulder.

Cliff's eyes glittered in a way Nami had never seen before. "Well, I told Marion we were travelling together, so..."

"No way!" Nami spluttered, staring at him like he was mad. "I don't go around with people. I just never have - I - I - " She was fast running out of reasons - or excuses, as Cliff would no doubt label them.

He laughed and reminded her conveniently, "You owe me, don't forget. For the letters _and_ the money."

Shocked that shy, sweet Cliff would do that, Nami could only gape. She watched him carefully for a while, before letting out a long, exasperated sigh. "Fine, fine, but you'd better be completely packed," she told him, wondering if she'd come to regret this. "Because I turn back for no one."

* * *

**A/N -** Holy cow, have I just reached the scene mentioned in the summary? Wow... and it only took me eleven chapters! XD Anyway, I'd really appreciate some feedback, so please leave a review if you have the time. Bye for now!


	12. A Wanderer's Spirit

**Disclaimer -** I don't own Harvest Moon.

**Author's note - **Hey all! I have another on-time chapter here, which is surprising as I was sure it was going to be late. Anyway, it's not a particularly lengthy update, I'm afraid, but I'm quite happy with it. Thank you to my reviewers: **Kairi Tsubasa**, **Chicken Yuki**, **Zianna**, **Alien-Child** and **Gann**.

Oh, and something else. I was reading through reviews for my Nami x Cliff oneshot, when I saw that **Awesome Rapidash** had used the phrase 'a wanderer's spirit'. It seemed like the perfect title for this chapter, so credit for that goes to him.

* * *

A Wanderer's Spirit

Throwing herself into Cliff's problem seemed to be the best solution for Nami. So far, nothing had taken her mind off the Valley like travelling with Cliff and pestering him about his denial over Ann. Things were a bit awkward in the beginning - given the pair's rocky start - but it didn't take long before they reached an amicable respect for each other. It had become an unspoken agreement that neither should intrude too far into the other's business.

Of course, where the Ann issue was concerned, that plan went slightly awry. Although it had to be said that Cliff didn't seem too bothered about Nami's intrusion on that front. It was almost as though he _wanted_ to be convinced.

Unfortunately for the young travellers, a new Inn had evaded them up until now. They were forced to sleep relatively rough, though the improving weather of late Spring certainly helped to make it bearable. Rain showers were all but disappearing as temperatures began that steady, start-of-Summer climb.

And Nami had learned something else about the mysteriously shy Cliff. He was staggeringly well prepared for pretty much everything that had the slightest chance of happening while travelling from place to place. It was amazing, Nami reflected, how much he could keep in that one battered, scruffy shoulder bag.

"Well, I don't like to face the unknown unprepared," he mumbled, red-faced, as Nami watched an assortment of items cascade to the floor. She'd snorted disbelievingly at the time, but was grateful for the extra blanket when the night came.

The map Cliff carried around with him turned out to have its uses, too. Nami was someone who tended to just wander. There were never any restrictions for her; she'd simply go wherever she felt like, not even considering the destination. Which was fine for her, it was how she liked it to be and there was usually no one else around to tell her otherwise.

Cliff, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He like to have a vague idea of where he was heading at the very least. Without a plan to hold him down, he couldn't seem to cope. It was as though making his own decisions about where to travel was too much.

The pair reached a compromise. A bit of aimless wandering combined with some sensible choices. It was lucky really, as if they'd followed Nami's instincts entirely they'd most likely have ended up at the bottom of a ravine. Cliff scarcely stopped reminding her of _that_ near miss...

Dawn arrived unusally bright one morning as Spring was drawing to a close. A warm breeze caressed Nami's face and ruffled her hair, while she descended the hill to reach the rock on which Cliff was sitting. They really were out in the wilderness here. Nami had been forced to sleep under cover of the trees, just a little way away from where Cliff had settled. He was currently hunched over an old notebook and hurriedly snapped it shut when Nami's shadow fell across the pages. It was a motion she recognised in herself.

"We need to find an Inn," Nami complained, rubbing her sore back. She perched next to Cliff who was neatly stowing away the book.

"We?" he asked, shooting her a quizzical look.

"Er...yes. As in you and I. Have you got a dictionary in that bag, Cliff?" she joked. "I think you might need it."

He gave her his most serious look, reserved only for special circumstances. Nami had actually learned a lot about Cliff's different ways of expressing himself, and so found this not in the slightlest bit intimidating. She often wondered if Ann ever had.

"No, what I meant," Cliff sighed, "was that I thought we were splitting up once we reached an Inn. I thought that was the plan. We can't just wander around together for ever, can we?"

There was a pause in which Nami was left feeling rather taken aback. "Well, I never suggested otherwise," she pointed out shortly. "I was only saying that we needed to find an Inn. And we do. You can't deny that, Cliff. I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of sleeping rough."

He nodded silently. It was a silence that prevailed and seemed consume both of them. Nami shifted awkwardly where she sat and stared up into reddish, early morning sky. Huh. And she thought _Cliff _was supposed to be the eager one about their travelling. It _had_ been his idea after all.

Well, unbeknownst to Cliff they would most certainly break up at the next Inn. Because, if things went according to Nami's plan, their next stop would be Doug's Inn. The Mineral Town inn, no less. All she needed to do was make sure they kept heading in near enough the right direction. After that, convincing Cliff to return to the town would be the easy part.

Whether Ann actually wanted him back or not had never even crossed Nami's mind.

* * *

"No, not like _that._ No! Damn it, Cliff, why are you drawing it like that...?" Needless to say, patience was not a virtue Nami was particularly fond of.

With a startled cry, the blushing brunette that was Cliff looked up and asked, "What exactly am I doing wrong?" Nami didn't know where to start with that question. They hadn't yet moved on from last night's resting spot and were trying to pass the time before deciding where to go next. Somehow, she'd convinced Cliff to dig out that journal he'd been writing in... and now heartily regretted it.

Cliff had decided to learn to draw the landscape. Nami had encouraged this without a second thought. Big mistake on both parts, so it transpired.

As was currently being demonstrated, Nami simply wasn't patient enough to teach properly. "For one thing, you're holding the pencil like it's a butcher's knife and you're about to launch a frenzied attack on somebody," she began, shaking her head in desperation. She stomped across to Cliff, upsetting the sparrow he'd been trying in vain to master for the last half an hour, in the process.

"Oh, thanks!" he groaned sarcastically, watching as it quickly flew away. "Y'know if you're such an artistic genius, Nami, show me some of your _wonderful_ work."

Nami stopped short, her mind suddenly blank. "Huh?" she managed, cursing her sluggish brain.

"Your art," Cliff clarified, frowing as he spoke. "Show me how you draw. I know you do sketch because I saw you, back at that other Inn. You were always doing it, always drawing _something_ in that book of yours. So go on, show me."

Nami no longer felt blank, only icy cold. "No," she said simply, staring over Cliff's shoulder at the confusing scribbles on his page. She took his hand and carefully rearranged his fingers around the pencil. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"I just..." She placed the pencil on the page at the correct angle and stepped back, her throat feeling constricted all of a sudden. She didn't want to discuss her old notebook right now or ever, and _definitely _didn't want to go in to what had happened to it. "I don't have it anymore," she finished flatly, hoping the subject would be dropped.

At first, it appeared to be. Cliff sketched away furiously for a further few minutes, trying very hard to keep his fingers in exactly the right position. "You can relax a _little_," Nami explained, watching as Cliff pressed far too hard and practically engraved the shape of a tree into the page. "Vary the pressure a bit."

"Sure," he agreed, now pressing on much too lightly instead. The tree was soon accompanied by a ghost-like squirrel. Nami considered correcting him again, but was interrupted when Cliff continued, "So you lost your notebook, huh?"

Nami sighed, "Not exactly." She debated over whether or not to tell the truth. In the end, she decided on a vague variation of it. "Actually," she confessed. "I kind of chose to leave it behind. Getting rid of old memories and all."

"I understand," Cliff said quietly after some time. He sat back casually and admired what he'd drawn so far. "And I'm still really sorry about ripping that sketch you liked," he added softly. Nami knew he was referring to her favourite drawing of Rock and her cheeks burned furiously at the memory.

An uncomfortable silence followed his apology. It was only broken when Nami, who'd been pacing back and forth, stopped to glance at Cliff's work. It really wasn't bad. "Get drawing, Cliff," she commanded, and started pacing once again.

* * *

It was the first Summer night of the year and it just so happened to be very clear and spectacularly beautiful. One thing Nami noticed about being in the city as opposed to the countryside, was the difference in the night-time sky. Stars were lovely to look at wherever you were, but the effect was never quite the same when they had the glare of streetlamps and car headlights to contend with. Sure, they always looked _nice_ and _pretty_ and you'd never think any less if you'd always lived in the city.

But when sat in the middle of nowhere, with not a man-made light source in miles, _nice_ and _pretty_ didn't get even a look in. Personally, Nami could find no words to describe exactly how she felt. None that would do justice to the scene, anyway. _This_, she thought contently, was the sort of thing she travelled for. Nights like _this_ made the sleeping rough and the knawing uncertainty absolutely worth it.

Cliff was equally quiet. They hadn't moved on very far from their previous spot and were still probably some way from civilisation. On seeing the arrival of such a perfect evening, the pair had climbed off the trail and onto the steep, overgrown banking. They weaved through the closely knit trees and bushes before emerging into a clear, rocky area with plenty of room to sit. From there they could see pretty much everything - or, at least, that was how it felt.

The valley plunged down in front of them on the other side of the trail. Vast, sprawling forests rose up opposite and a river could be seen snaking along, way below. But it was the stars that really _made_ the scene.

Like tiny, sparkling diamonds they stretched right across the inky black sky in every direction. And they were so dazzlingly clear that it felt as though you could stretch out your arm and touch them.

"It's a lovely night," Cliff murmured, simply for something to say. He really needn't have. There was no awkwardness between him and Nami tonight. Tonight, silence was underrated.

In fact, with the landscape bathed in soft moonlight, it wasn't even properly dark. It was a surreal full moon night, Nami decided, quite happily.

Cliff was suddenly chuckling. It threw Nami off her train of thought for a second, and she turned to stare at him. "What is it?" she whispered, keeping her voice down because it currently seemed like the correct thing to do. The night was too prefect for raucous chatter.

"I was just thinking," Cliff replied musingly, and for one mad moment Nami thought she was going to get a philosophical answer. But no, as Cliff went on, "It's a full moon tonight. And you know what? That's like the equivalent of attending a Full Moon Festival together!"

"Oh." Nami gave him a confused look. Was that code for something?

"It's a Mineral Town event," Cliff hastily explained.

Her blue eyes narrowed suspiciously at him. "That wouldn't happen to be a _romantic_ event now would it, Cliff?"

"Of course not!" Cliff answered, quick as a flash. Probably too quick, though Nami decided to let it go. Talking of Mineral Town had reminded her of her chosen 'mission'. She wasn't entirely sure where her burning desire to help Cliff had come from. Maybe it was because she owed him for so much.

Or maybe it was because he'd gained the status: 'friend'.

* * *

**A/N -** Okay, not so much drama this chapter, but it's still pretty important. Next chapter, however, is going to be drama filled. I cannot _wait_ to start writing it, as it's one I've been planning for ages! Bye for now and don't forget to review!


	13. Interruptions Abound

**Disclaimer -** I don't own Harvest Moon.

**Author's Note -** Yay! A new chapter and it's not horrendously late. Haha... for me that's quite an achievement! Well, I really enjoyed writing this chapter, so I hope everyone enjoys reading it. Thank you to my reviewers: **Kairi Tsubasa**, **Zianna** and **Alien-Child**.

* * *

Interruptions Abound

Cliff muttered and mumbled and shifted restlessly in his seat for the entirety of the ferry journey. Nami, on the other hand, felt reasonably calm. She leant casually against the railings and stared into the gorgeous Summer sky. It was a hot, flawless day, with not a cloud to be seen for miles. After a brief scan of the horizon, Nami turned back to her unenthusiastic companion.

"Come on, Cliff," she chided playfully. "Lighten up a little!"

Her only reply was a muffled groan, for Cliff's head was in his hands and he didn't seem keen to be looking up any time soon. The boat lurched as Nami crossed the deck, causing her to wonder if that was the reason behind his discomfort.

"So do you get seasick, then?"

"No!" Cliff retorted vehemently, while Nami grinned victoriously at getting a reaction out of him. With his arms folded tightly and his eyebrows knotted together in a frown, he looked rather like a sulky toddler. "It's not _that._ It's just, well, I can't _believe_ I let you talk me into this."

That same mischevious grin graced Nami's lips. She'd become rather used to it lately and found herself quite attached. Cliff, however, did _not_ look amused in the slightest. He let out a frustrated sigh, as Nami slid onto the bench beside him. "You'll thank me for this later," she said wisely.

Cliff let out a disbelieving snort, but otherwise didn't answer. Apparently, nothing would convince him to trust Nami on this. But she wasn't at all worried. She'd convinced him one time, how hard could it be to do so again?

The rest of the journey passed quietly and with minimal confrontation. Wave after wave crashed against the boat, with the deck swaying dangerously each time. And judging by the green tinge Cliff's face had recently acquired, he was in denial over his sea sickness.

It wasn't long before a voice came over the crackly announcer. "Next stop," it proclaimed, "will be Mineral Town."

* * *

By the time the ferry finally docked, Cliff seemed to have experienced a whirlwind of different emotions. It was hard to decipher exactly how he felt on arrival, but Nami guessed it would be somewhere between excitement and extreme nervousness. After slinging their bags onto their shoulders, the pair hopped off the boat and along the pier. Yeah definitely nervousness, Nami decided, as the planks of wood rattled and creaked from Cliff's compulsive shaking. She rolled her eyes silently.

Well. Silence was clearly the word of the day in Mineral Town. Nami scanned the long, white sands of Mineral Beach, feeling ever so slightly pertubed by the emptiness. It was sweltering even in the shade and therefore the perfect day for sunbathing.

Cliff seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "Huh," he murmured thoughtfully. "It's not usually this quiet. Not in the Summer." He swept over to a small shack with peeling white paint, which sat at the top end of the beach. "It's closed," he announced. "Kai must be out somewhere."

Nami had not the slightest idea who Kai was, but she found she didn't really care. Curiosity, for once, had departed from her thoughts completely. At the moment, all she wanted was to drink in the calm and tranquility that surrounded her. It was strange, but the instant she set foot off the ferry was the same instant her own stomach started to swoop and swirl. It was nerves, she realised quickly, just like Cliff's.

In fact, she could start to feel her feet dragging across the sand - it was almost involuntary, as though she was coming to dread the next hours without acually knowing it or knowing just why. Perhaps a few hard truths had only then occcured to her. Like, despite years of travelling alone, it was weird to imagine getting back on that boat all by herself. And then there was Forget-Me-Not Valley lying _just over_ Mother's Hill, so close it was suffocating her. And then what if Cliff was rejected? What if he ended up more hurt than before and she was entirely at fault for meddling...?

Despite the burning heat, Nami shivered as she hastily followed Cliff up the stone steps.

They emerged into a large, cobblestone plaza. It was utterly charming in it's quaintness, with neatly pruned flowers in various shades adorning the sides and a wonderfully old-fashioned feel radiating from every corner. "Rose Square," Cliff sighed, gesturing in front of him. It, too, was deserted, though this time Nami couldn't tell if this was the norm or not. She glanced at Cliff who was shaking his head. "There's usually a crowd of gossipers stood right there," he said, pointing. "But it's still early, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt."

Nami wondered how Cliff was taking this so well. She had been through Mineral Town only once - while on her way to the Valley - but even _she'd_ noticed that it was a bustling little community with everyone waving and greeting each other as they passed on the street. Today, the place was eerily quiet, and the feeling of foreboding was steadily getting worse.

Yet clearly it wasn't affecting Cliff. If anything, he seemed more positive than he had in ages. He crossed Rose Square very purposefully, while Nami lagged behind a little. It had only just hit her that so much could go wrong in this situation. But that wasn't the worst. Cliff's improving mood was only going to make rejection a hell of a lot harder should it happen. And try as she might, Nami just couldn't feel optimistic anymore...

"Where does Ann live, again?" she asked, as they exited the square and headed down one of the cute, narrow streets. At first, Cliff didn't answer; he seemed hopelessly entralled by being back in Mineral Town and could concentrate on little else. "Cliff?" she pressed.

"Hmm?" They'd come to a stop outside a large, two storey building, which easily dwarfed the others nearby. Nami glanced at the sign outside and realised with a jolt that it was the Mineral Town Inn.

"Here?" she asked quietly, knowing that Ann could be just on the other side of that door. This was it then. The moment of truth.

Cliff had become rather silent and thoughtful, though hadn't yet reverted to his previous agitation. "Yes, this is it," he nodded. "She lives right here - at least, she does as far as I know. Things might have changed. Look, Nami, there was actually something I wanted to - " But Cliff froze before he could finish his sentence.

Nami gawped at him, wondering what on earth was wrong now. "Did you hear that?" Cliff muttered, glancing up and down the street. She was about to reply that she didn't and that he was obviously going mad, when she suddenly heard it too. Or heard _them_, to be more precise. Voices. Laughter. Sounding distant as they drifted through the Summer air.

"Quick. Hurry," Cliff whispered. Without warning, he grasped Nami's hand and they rushed to the end of the road. Here, you could turn left for South Mineral Town and right for North. As he neared the corner, Cliff let go of Nami, blushing madly, and peered tentatively right. Within an instant, he backtracked like a skittish cat.

"What _now?" _Nami hissed, pain exploding in her foot where Cliff had trampled it. "Who is it?"

He mouthed at her furiously, as though the slightest whisper would give away their position. Unfortunately, Nami wasn't great at lip reading. It took her a while, but she eventually worked out that he was saying: "Ann! Ann!"

_"Oh!"_ Nami said - too loud, apparently, as Cliff winced. She ignored him and pushed past to look up the road. What stupid problem had come up now? she wondered.

...Only the second she clapped eyes on Ann, it was completely obvious. Ann was stood outside a house at the top of the street, laughing and joking happily. She looked stunning and much more beautiful than Nami remembered. She looked radiant - _blushing bride_ radiant, in fact.

Nami's heart sank for Cliff, as her eyes roved over Ann's perfect, white wedding dress. Her flaming hair was tied into buns and decorated lavishly with flowers. She even had the traditional bouquet in her hand, for Goddess sake! And a bridesmaid, Nami realised, noticing a girl with smooth black hair and owlish glasses for the first time. "That's Mary," Cliff told her, muttering into her ear so that she squirmed. "And - _Holy cow!_ Is she... _pregnant?" _

"I'd say so," Nami answered crisply, watching this Mary, whose stomach bulged beneath her lilac dress.

Very slowly, Cliff reached out and pulled Nami back around the corner, turning her to face him in the process. She tried to yank away, not wanting to look him in the eye. "I guess that's why the place is so quiet," he concluded, pretending not to notice Nami's awkwardness. "They're all at the wedding. She'll be marrying Jack, of course. There's no question about it. They were meant each other. I mean, they didn't exactly wait long, but there you go..."

"Cliff... I'm sorry," Nami began. "I'm so, _so_ sorry..."

But Cliff was barely listening. He nodded along with Nami's apologies, but otherwise wasn't paying much attention. His eyes looked past her and onto the building behind. When Nami spun around, she knew why straight away.

"Hey look! It's your Vineyard!"

Cliff grinned. "Well, not _my_ Vineyard exactly," he laughed. "But the one where I used to work, yes." Nami could just picture him here, busy and purposeful for once. The Aja Winery was a small place, but it was wholesome and looked worked in. She could vividly imagine Cliff lugging the barrels that stood beside the cellar door or picking the grapes that hung on the leafy vines.

Once again, Cliff took Nami's hand - _not_ that she was keeping count, or anything - and guided her away from the Vineyard. They quickly fell into step with each other, while she pondered exactly how she should be feeling at the moment. Guitly, obviously, but there was also a strange sense of relief than she couldn't deny. Getting back on that boat with someone was far better than doing it alone. But what next? she wondered. This was supposed to be the end for her and Cliff's travelling. So was it? Wasn't it? What happened next?

...And _what_ was up with his reaction!? He'd just seen the love of his life going off to marry another man and... nothing. No utter devastation or despair like she'd predicted. As they wandered back towards the Inn, Nami kept stealing glances at Cliff, trying to decided whether the mositure in his eyes were tears or simply a figment of her imagination.

It wasn't long, of course, before Cliff noticed this attention. "So..." he said conversationally, finally noticing her hand in his and dropping it in an instant. "I guess... we'd better be off then. Listen Nami, I _knew_ really that Ann would have moved on. I knew it when I chose to leave her and I know it now. I suppose I always did." Nami opened her mouth to interrupt, but he hurriedly spoke through her. "I know you're probably wondering why I'm not that disappointed - and it's not an act I swear - but actually - "

Yet again Cliff was distracted. This time, however, Nami could see just why. The door to the Inn was slightly ajar as they approached and all of a sudden a rather canine nose poked out to sniff at the air. At the sight of it, Cliff came to a standstill, while Nami felt like laughing. She was just about to do so, when he said in an odd voice, "Bracken?"

The red-head frowned, her confusion deepening. At the same time, a happy bark broke through the air and Cliff repeated, "Bracken!" rather more enthusiastically. A young, intelligent-looking black and white collie emerged from the Inn, it's feathery tail wagging eagerly.

_"Bracken!"_ Cliff cried for the third time, stooping down to ruffle the dog's ears; one of which was pointed and the other floppy. "Oh, aren't you a good girl?" he cooed, while Bracken licked his hand. "I've missed you, girl, yes I have..."

He jolted around as Nami let out a dry, amused cough. "Well," she smirked. "Are you going to introduce me or what?"

"Oh... sure," he agreed, smiling shyly. "Nami, this is Ann's dog, Bracken. Jack bought her for Ann's twenty-first birthday. Bracken, this is Nami. She's my new friend. Hold your hand out," he added to Nami. "I wonder if she still does the paw thing..."

Apparently, Bracken did. She waved her white paw in the air, looking rather proud as Cliff and Nami grinned.

There was a sudden, resounding crash. "What the - ?" Nami started, glancing up in time to see a blur in beige overalls race out of the Inn and onto the street. He looked highly flustered and quickly righted his lopsided baseball cap. There was a moment of shocked silence as the man stared at the travellers with wide, blue eyes. Now Nami didn't have a clue who this man was, but Cliff clearly did.

"Gray!" he yelped, his eyes popping and skin paling rapidly.

"Cliff!" the boy retorted, looking equally shocked. "What the _hell_ are you doing here? Hey, you're not crashing the wedding are you?" he added suspicously. "Because if you are, then I really don't want to get involved. For a start, Mary would kill me. She might look sweet and all, but..."

Cliff sighed wearily. "_No,_ I'm not," he insisted. "I didn't even know she was getting married, I swear." He turned to Nami, looking ever so slightly amused for some reason. "This is Gray, Mary's husband... _as if you couldn't already tell." _

It was a struggle for Nami to restrain her giggles as they followed Gray and Bracken into the cool shade of Doug's Inn. "So why aren't you at the wedding?" Cliff questioned, looking around the deserted bar. Nami followed his gaze and took in the 'Congratulations' banners and balloons; this was clearly the venue for the reception.

Gray shrugged and removed his hat to reveal a mop of messy, dark red hair. "I'm on dog-sitting duty," he admitted bashfully. "And a certain _mutt_ is driving me mad." He looked past Bracken to another smaller dog with light brown fur, which sat under one of the tables. With a shudder, Nami recognised it as Jack's over excitable pet, Buttons.

"Why is it so important that you look after the dogs?" Cliff asked, frowning. "Couldn't they... look after themselves? Or go to the wedding?"

Gray grinned wryly at Cliff as he poured out glasses of pineapple juice behind the bar. Obviously, Nami's presence had been forgotten - either that or he didn't care - for he quickly continued, "_Women!_ That's why I'm here."

"Ah - Ohh. Heh heh..." Cliff's chuckle sounded very nervous and forced. He cast a quick glance at Nami who was looking instead at her fingernails, trying very hard to hide her amusement.

"Anyway," Gray went on, oblivious. "Ann came out with all of this crap about the Goddess frowning upon animals dirtying her Church. Which, of course, translates as: 'I don't want to be upstaged by pair of mongrels!'" He finished pouring and inexplicably seemed to become as anxious as Cliff. "But Mary's the main reason, I guess. She really didn't want me there. It's so ridiculous, but she kept insisting she looked awful because of the pregnancy." Gray shook his head despairingly, before a bright, rather proud smile dawned on his face. "Oh yeah, Cliff. I forgot. I'm gonna be a Dad soon! _Me!_ Can you believe it? We're having twins."

"Twins? Wow..."

"Yeah," Gray nodded, really in his stride now and postively beaming with pride. "Two girls. They're due in a few days and we've decided to call them Molly and Jennifer. Jennfier was Mary's choice and Molly was mine because I think it's..." His voice trailed into mumbles.

They never did find out what Molly was, but, judging by Gray's beetroot face, Nami suspected it would be something distinctly unmanly. Perhaps 'pretty', or 'sweet'. "Well, that's great news for you guys," Cliff said honestly. "And this, by the way, is Nami."

After the customary polite handshake, it was clear that Gray was dying to ask something. And Nami thought she knew exactly what. "We're friends," she explained pointedly, gesturing between her and Cliff. "Travelling companions." The ending 'and nothing more' was not added, but it was heavily implied.

"Oh. Cool," Gray answered. He passed out glasses of juice which were gratefully swigged down by Cliff and Nami. Even indoors the weather was scorching and neither of the pair could remember the last time they'd drank anything as delicious. "You're just passing through then? And not stopping?"

"Nope," Nami said briefly. "You know, we'd better be on our way actually." Those comments were for Cliff's benefit. She really wouldn't like for him to have to suffer the embarrassment of having to explain why he'd come to Mineral Town in the first place - and her reply invited no further questions.

Cliff put down his empty glass, while Nami did likewise. "Agreed," he announced. "We've really got to go. And Gray? I'd prefer it if you didn't tell anyone about our visit."

There was a pause. "...Well, I don't like keeping things from Mary," Gray mumbled slowly. "I won't tell her, but if she directly asks - "

" - I _highly_ doubt that Gray," Cliff sighed.

" - Then I'll have to tell her."

Nami and Cliff had enough sense to realise that this was the best they could hope for. "Sure, sure," Cliff agreed, rolling his eyes discreetly. He made for door followed by Nami, who hurriedly hopped off the table she'd been perching on. They were nearly outside, when Gray called them back.

"One second," he assured them, and Nami hoped it truly would be. The worst possible senario would be the wedding party walking in right about now. "I've got someone who'd love to meet you. We've got a new barmaid, Cliff. She's called Jade. She's like a mixture of Karen and Mary in looks, with Karen's green eyes and Mary's hair. I'll fetch her now."

In all honesty, Nami could not have been less interested in this girl if she tried. But the same couldn't be said for Cliff. He looked more than vaguely curious, suggesting that Karen was some stunner, and any hybrid of her and dark-haired Mary would turn out irresistible.

She jumped back onto the table and let out a private, somewhat sulky snort. "Thanks for that," Cliff said just then, as Gray vanished into the back room, calling for Jade.

Nami started, and gave him a perplexed look. "Wh - what?"

"For not telling Gray why we came here," Cliff clarified with a warm smile. He wandered towards Nami and sat heavily beside her on the table. "I'm really quite glad that you convinced me to come here, you know. Things didn't work out with Ann, but it really helped. I never thought I'd mind this little about her getting married. I'm really, _really_ not that devastated - "

"But - you _love_ her," Nami burst out, not understanding what he meant and finding herself unable to keep quiet.

"Y'know," Cliff murmured, shifting slightly closer. "I really don't think that I do."

But before Nami could even begin to think up a reply, the door to the backroom flew open and Gray and a young, black haired woman emerged. Suddenly, the previous conversation was forgotten entirely.

Nami could only stare at Jade. She _was_ just as beautiful as predicted. She was also highly familiar looking. In fact... replace the black hair with blonde and...

"_Muffy!?"_


	14. Secrets

**Disclaimer -** Harvest Moon does not belong to me.

**Author's note -** Hmm. Not the speediest of updates, but, for me, it's not too bad. Thank you, as always, to those who reviewed: **Zianna**, **Chicken Yuki** and **Alien-Child**. Enjoy everyone!

* * *

Secrets

_"Muffy?"_

'Jade' blinked her green eyes innocently in reply, but Nami wasn't at all fooled. A little black hair dye and an outfit change were hardly going to convince her that her old friend was a completely different person.

Cliff and Gray looked totally baffled as they stared between the two girls. "What on earth - ?" Gray started to say, when Muffy cut through him as though he wasn't even there. Nami herself had almost forgotten her own companion's presence, and certainly wasn't thinking of their previous conversation anymore.

"What are you _doing_ here?" Muffy asked softly, her voice sounding strained and tearful. Her eyes widened in disbelief as if she was trying to look nonchalant and only vaguely concerned by the situation. But Nami felt she knew her better.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," she replied, using the same quiet tone as Muffy had.

A silence dragged on at these words, only to be punctuated by Cliff coughing nervously. Startled - and half-annoyed as Muffy clammed up again - Nami jumped and whirled around to face him. At the look on her face, Cliff's pale face grew crimson. "We, um, we _really_ have to go now, Nami," he mumbled. "It's just the wedding - and - "

"Yes, okay... _yes_," Nami blurted out hurriedly. She hadn't fogotten that, of course, but events had undoubtedly taken a rather strange turn. Her thoughts ran away from her as she tried to work out what to do next.

Meanwhile, Gray was looking stunned by the current situation. His mouth was half-open, as he said to Muffy, "So you're not really called Jade at all?" And when Muffy shook her head sadly, it fell open further, not dissimilar to that of a gaping goldfish.

"Come with us," Nami offered suddenly. Next to her, Cliff let out an odd, strangled yelp, while Muffy was left frozen with shock. "_What!?" _the pair cried in unison.

Gray merely mumbled something incoherent.

Nami, however, waved a hand impatiently. "Not permanently," she sighed with her typical eye-roll. "It's just that I have to talk to you, Muffy. Just quickly if that's all you can manage. But we can't do it here because - well, we just can't, okay?" She vaguely felt Cliff's glance on her back, but there wasn't time to dwell on it. At the moment, things seemed to be moving far too fast. Her thoughts were racing along at a pace her words couldn't keep up with.

It was all so... weird. Muffy was here in Mineral Town, under a false name and appearance. What could possibly have happened? The last time Nami saw her, she was content and relaxed and at the start of a promising relationship with Rock. And speaking of which, what _of_ Rock?

Nami's mind spun at the thought.

Slowly, the now dark-haired barmaid gave a tiny nod of consent. "Fine," she murmured, her voice deathly quiet and her wide eyes glistening with tears. "But I can't be long about it. I've got a wedding reception to get back for and work to be doing - "

"I'll make your excuses," Gray interrupted hastily, as Nami felt a sudden, surprising rush of warmth towards him. "I'll say you're ill or something," he invented, looking quite nervous at the tears that were now flowing freely down Muffy's face. He patted her awkwardly and, as Cliff opened his mouth, added, "And I won't tell anyone you lot were here. Heck, I've got lot more than that to be thinking about..." With that, his azure eyes glazed over and it was obvious to the other three that he had retreated into the world of the expectant parent.

"G - good luck, Gray," Cliff stammered. The two boys froze in motion for a second, before shaking hands incredibly briefly. After that, Gray wandered off with a muttered, 'Thanks', leaving Cliff scarlet-faced for several long minutes.

"Come on then," Muffy sniffed dejectedly. "I know where we can go."

Nami nodded, but didn't feel altogether convinced. Somehow, seeing Muffy so submissive like this sent a shiver of fear through her. It simply wasn't in her friend's nature to willingly go along with everything that was asked of her. The Muffy she _had_ known, would not have backed down so easily. She'd have fought, questioned and argued until she was hoarse, rather than let her weaknesses show. Muffy was one of the most resiliant people Nami knew, so seeing her this broken was a chilling sign. Whatever had happened - and she was determined to find out - it could only be bad news. The worst.

To the very south of Mineral Town, nature reigned. There were few houses past the farms, near the town's southern border, save for Gotz the woodcutter's cottage. This in itself, though, was surrounded by a mass of trees and plants which snaked unchecked across the landscape. Muffy led the travellers along a narrow dirt path which winded its way through the forest and towards Mother's Hill.

As the trio finally emerged into a beautifully secluded area, complete with pond _and_ waterfall, Nami whistled appreciatively. The Mineral Town scenery wasn't too hard on the eyes, that was for sure. They sat on the sunlit grass next to the gently rippling waters of the Goddess Pond. Nami asumed it was held in the same regard as the pond back in the Valley. Apparently, they originated from the same blessed spring - or so the legend went.

Muffy closed her eyes and leant back slightly. "It's lovely here, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Nami agreed truthfully. The tranquil setting almost helped her forget why they were even here.

The barmaid caught her eye. "But not as nice as Forget-Me-Not?" she asked teasingly.

"Not by a long way."

It was almost like old times. Almost. Only almost wasn't close enough. It was tantalizingly so, and yet very far at the same time. A shadow seemed to descend over Nami, as her mind focused grimly on the task in hand.

After a moment of careful deliberation, she decided to plunge straight in. There was no point in - and more importantly no time for - dithering around. "Why are you here, Muffy?" she enquired bluntly.

The next few moments were spent waiting silently. Nami hadn't expected an immediate answer from her friend and she certainly didn't get one. Instead, Muffy agitatedly twirled blades of grass between her long, pale fingers; anything to keep from revealing her secret it seemed.

"I - " she began, then stopped quickly. Nami nodded as understandingly as she could, but inwardly felt like sighing. There was no sense in pretending otherwise: she just wasn't a patient person. And not only that, but a rather alarming thought had occured to her and it was pointless to act as though she wasn't concerned about it. Or rather concerned about _him._

"Muffy? It's not Rock is it?" she asked as briskly as possible. "He's okay, right?"

Muffy gave a slightly shaky laugh. "Trust you to think of him!" she smiled, while Nami's face burned. Suddenly, though, the humour seemed to seep out of Muffy's tone, and Nami felt a chill rush over her. "No, no, he's fine. At least, he was when I left." Her face tightened sorrowfully. "I didn't leave because of something happening to Rock, if that's what you're thinking. No, he's okay... though I doubt he's been too happy since I left..."

"You and Rock broke up?" Nami burst out. She winced internally at the very teenager-style shriek her voice had inexplicably taken on. But this was really no time to be dwelling on such things, she reminded herself, and concentrated instead on Muffy's answer. Or tried to, anyway. Muffy actually seemed rather conflicted on the matter.

"No," she explained. "Well... yes. Look, the thing is..." Muffy trailed off, apparently in the process of deciding 'what the thing was'. "I didn't leave because Rock and I broke up. I suppose you could say, we're no longer together _because_ I left."

Something clicked in Nami's head. "You ran away from the Valley," she said slowly.

And, after an agonising pause, Muffy confirmed it with a brief nod.

"But... Why?"

"Well, I... it's a long story," Muffy finished lamely. "I needed to get away, I needed a fresh start, some space. Rock and I were dating quite happily when you left the Valley, Nami, as you know. It went on much the same after you left, really. He was upset at losing his best friend, of course, but - "

"Best friend?" Nami echoed dully. "You don't mean me?" She sounded rightly incredulous and couldn't even _begin_ to think about how to deal with that little revelation.

"Naturally," Muffy replied smoothly. "Anyway, things went well between us for a while. They went more than well, in fact. We enjoyed ourselves, it was great. But then..."

But... _what!?_ Nami thought anxiously, as Muffy fell silent once again. She didn't think she could take much more of this tension and suspense. What on earth had happened to her strong, bubbly friend to make her crumple like this? If Rock had done _anything_ to hurt her -

"Nami, I'm pregnant," Muffy whispered. The words slipped out so fast, Nami couldn't quite tell if she had imagined them or not. It was the pained look written across Muffy's white face, however, which clearly conveyed the shocking truth.

Suddenly, Nami was hugging her. She wasn't usually the overly affectionate type, but it felt like the right thing to do at the time. As the red-head drew backwards feeling slightly embarrassed, Muffy breathed a quick word of 'Thanks'.

"Does Rock know?" Nami asked, voicing one of the many questions that were circling her brain. Then she paused. "...It _is_ Rock's, isn't it?"

"Of course!" Muffy snapped. Her anger lasted only briefly and faded away to be replaced by that same, strange weariness that looked so foreign to her. "Sorry," she mumbled. "But no, Rock has no idea about the baby. I couldn't tell him, it was too much. We're not even married, for Goddess sake! How could this _possibly_ work? You know Rock, he wouldn't want a kid."

"I know he - he loves you," Nami pointed out honestly. "He's crazy about you, Muffy. He always has been. He wouldn't always admit it, but I knew. And he'd stick by you. He'd be thrilled if he knew about this baby, I just know it."

Unconvinced by this, Muffy shook her head. "No no no," she rambled. "He wouldn't. He's just like a kid himself, really..."

As her friend burbled on, Nami sat back a little, several things sliding into place in her mind. The clarity was startling and it surprised her that she hadn't happened upon it sooner. It _wasn't_ that Muffy truly believed Rock would leave her. It really wasn't him at all. It was her. She was the scared one.

Muffy had been graced with a lifetime of bitter disappointments and crushed hopes, yet still she'd fought on. Ironically, it was the exact opposite of that which had caused her breakdown. She'd come within inches of the happiness she'd so desperately craved and... it was too much. Perhaps, she was scared of losing everything when it had come so tantalizingly close. Or perhaps she simply couldn't cope with such intense emotions. Nami didn't know just yet.

"Look," the traveller sighed. She took Muffy's hands somewhat awkwardly in the vague hope of it helping. "You need to go back home, Muffy, back to Forget-Me-Not Valley. It's for the best, trust me."

"Yeah," Cliff put in calmly. "It really is." He hadn't involved himself in the conversation so far and, truthfully, Nami had very nearly fogotten about him. But she was grateful for his support and flashed him a quick smile when he caught her eye. "Everyone will be worried about you," Cliff went on, without a trace of irony.

Nami nodded along. "He's right."

After what seemed like an enternity, Muffy made a quiet noise of consent. She didn't look at Nami and Cliff, instead focussing on the gushing waterfall - but they understood clearly enough.

"How long have you got to go?" Nami asked as they stood, referring to the pregnancy.

"Oh, quite some way yet." Muffy pulled her loose, green dress tight, exposing a small baby bump. "Y'know, I don't think I'm showing as much as some women would at this stage," she mused.

"Well, that's something!" Nami said bracingly; though they really were clutching at straws here.

Muffy agreed that she would head back to the Inn, quit her job with as little fuss as possible and pack up her things. She also promised, mainly for Cliff's benefit, not to breathe a word of the pair's visit to Mineral Town. For Nami, it was difficlut to conceal her ecstasy. She'd done exactly as planned and helped Muffy do the right thing. It was like a personal victory for the traveller. Her mental celebration was suddenly halted, however, as Muffy uttered a terrifying few words. "You two will accompany me back, right? Back to the Valley?"

Everything crashed to a standstill around Nami. Her mind felt annoyingly frozen. Go _back?_ She couldn't possibly return to the place she'd been trying so desperately to forget. It wasn't right to get so attached to one stupid place, she reminded herself fiercely. And if she went back again and saw Rock and the Inner Inn... the ocean... _Flora..._

"Of course we will," Nami confirmed, before she could stop herself. Even Cliff looked deeply surprised, but she ignored him and the slight worried niggle which crept into the back of her conscience.

"Hey Muffy," Cliff said just then, looking rather puzzled. "There's something I've been wondering about. You were working at the Inn alongside Ann, weren't you?" Muffy nodded, appearing equally, if not more, confused. "Well, Ann and I met you at the Blue Bar last Summer, so how come she didn't recognise you working here?"

Finally, Muffy's face was lit by her most genuine smile yet. "Darling," she explained, accompanying it with a piercing laugh, "Ann was getting _married._ For all she cared, I could have been a donkey in drag!"

Nami had always wondered just how red Cliff's face could go. It was right then that she got her answer.

* * *

The bright Summer's day was slowly starting to fade. Soft shades of pink and lilac began to creep into the blanket of deep blue, dyeing the steadily darkening sky. Nami and Cliff stood together on the footpath south of Mineral Town and at the base of Mother's Hill. They had come down from the spring and were waiting for Muffy at the edge of the woods.

"So... back to Forget-Me-Not, eh?" Cliff said conversationally. At least, it was meant to be conversational. Somehow, though, they both knew different.

"Yes," she replied stiffly. "And if what you _really_ meant, was to enquire how I felt about it - "

" - Not at all - "

" - Then the answer is _fine. _Totally fine," Nami finished, staring off into the muddle of trees rather than look at her companion. "It's not as if we're staying there permanently, anyway."

Cliff didn't answer for a moment. "...You must be excited about seeing your best friend, though?" he asked. At first, Nami thought he must be mocking her. However, to her complete and _utter_ confusion, he was being serious. She gave a disbelieving snort as an answer, yet still refused to meet his eyes.

Best friend...huh! What rubbish! And she wasn't at all excited. Worried was far more like it - but it was the root of that worry which _slightly_ confirmed Cliff's statement. Perhaps she knew deep down that the swooping sensation in her stomach was not really nerves. Perhaps she knew her true feelings and felt alarmed by them.

Perhaps she was more excited than she was letting on.

The night was getting properly dark now. It was no longer lit by the dim, reddish glow of dusk, but covered instead in the growing blackness. Nami shivered ever so slightly, glancing the heavy shadows cast across the path by the towering trees.

Cliff was beginning to become agitated - and rightly so. "Perhaps," he wondered aloud, looking thoughful, "she couldn't get away. Maybe they wouldn't let her quit for some reason."

Without knowing exactly why, Nami was almost certain that this wasn't true. "No..." she muttered, her stomach twisting with foreboding. "No, they wouldn't do that. It's a wedding reception, after all. It's got to be something else..."

They both glanced along the pitch black pathway which led to Jack - and now indeed Ann's - farm. There was no sign of Muffy, despite the lawn being flooded with the yellowy light which poured from the farmhouse's windows. "They're back then," Cliff breathed, referring, of course, to his ex-girlfriend and her newly acquired husband. "Good for them - " But he stopped, paling rapidly. "Nami... I've just thought. Quick!"

Without a word of explanation, he grasped her hand and they ran, not along the road to Jack's farm, but the road that ran along the bottom of the forest. After pounding through the maze of streets, they eventually crashed onto Mineral Beach. Nami still had no idea what was going on and her confusion was only deepened when she spotted Gray walking back down the pier towards them.

Cliff rushed towards him. "Gray, is she - is she gone?" he gasped, too breathless to say much else.

For a second, Gray looked completely baffled by Cliff's ramblings. He seemed to make a little sense of them, for he said, "Jade, er, _Muffy_... you mean?"

A terrible jolt of realisation shot through Nami, as Cliff nodded grimly. What on earth was Muffy playing at? They were supposed to be going back to the Valley; she'd _agreed. _Despite looking noticably perplexed, Gray turned and pointed out across the sea. "She just got on a boat," he explained. "But what's the problem? She told me you guys wanted her to leave..."

Nami had already stopped listening. Just like fireworks against a Summer sky, her anger exploded violently. She couldn't believe it... how could she... just _how!?_

And the ferry's light shone in the distance.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, so there wasn't a great deal of Cliff x Nami interaction this chapter, I'm afraid. I'm still reasonably pleased with it though. Hope you all liked it too! Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!


	15. Forget Me Not

**Disclaimer -** Harvest Moon is not mine.

**Author's note - **Here it is. Chapter 15. It's quite long, too - at least by my standards. Thank you to everyone who reviewed: **Chicken Yuki**, **Zianna**, **Alien-Child** and **JC-WV**. Thank you all so much! Enjoy the chapter everyone!

* * *

Forget Me Not

It wasn't until dawn that another boat arrived in Mineral Town. Nami and Cliff sat on the sandy shore all night, debating their next move and reflecting on the shocking events that had just unfolded. Anger slowly slipped away from Nami, and she suddenly found herself feeling rather deflated. Empty, even. It was a horrible feeling and one she was keen to rid herself of.

Cliff was the first to shatter the deep silence that had hung over the travellers since Muffy's staggering departure. "So I guess," he said softly, picking up a handful of sand and letting it flow through his fingers, "the real question now is..."

"...Who is she going to be," Nami finished with a sad sigh. "Muffy or Jade?" The last name of the two was spat almost venomously.

Despite the current circumstances, it was a beautiful Summer night in Mineral Town. The yellowy glow of the street lamps failed to reach the darkened beach and so the stars were clearly visible against the velvety black sky. A salty ocean breeze blew in off the waves, keeping Nami and Cliff pleasantly cool in spite of the hazy air.

Nami found herself focusing hard on the distant horizon. The ferry was long gone now, but still she couldn't stop thinking about Muffy. Why had she done it? Why did she flee when she promised not to? The horrible part was that Nami had felt so damn proud about getting through to Muffy, and in reality it had all been a lie. Muffy had simply _said_ she'd do as they wanted, in order to get them off her back. As far as Nami was concerned, her so-called friend had had no intention whatsoever of accompanying her and Cliff back to the Valley. And she utterly refused to accept the idea that nerves could have gotten the best of Muffy. To her, it was little more than a betrayal.

Cliff, however, clearly had other views. "I suppose she must have felt more lost than we realised," he mused, more to himself than to his companion. Nami had no reply to that. The fact was, she didn't trust herself to give one. Even if he was right, even if Muffy hadn't left callously... it still hurt. It still hurt that someone she considered to be a friend would rather run away than trust her.

"Hmm," she replied instead, keeping her tone as neutral as possible.

"Do you think she'll go back to the Valley, then?" Cliff asked thoughfully.

This earned him a glare from Nami, which, actually, he ended up missing in favour of staring up at the stars. Nami really wished he would just shut up about Muffy. Right now, her only concern was forgetting about the humiliating events of the evening. Now all she wanted was for the morning to arrive, a ferry to turn up and for them to get as far away from this town as possible.

"Well?" Cliff persisted, his face creasing with beginnings of a frown. "Do you think she'll go back home or not?"

_Snap _- that was the deafening sound of Nami's patience. "I don't _know," _she cried in exasperation. Her arms flew into the air along with several clumps of sand. "Who's to say where she'll go next? How should _I_ know? But if she has gone back to the Valley, she's certainly done it in a rather round about way!"

A pause followed this answer, and Cliff clearly decided to take it as a 'no'. "Er... okay then," he muttered, looking at anything except his throughly annoyed friend. "But if she doesn't go back - like you said - then doesn't that put us in a difficult position?"

Nami's mind felt slow and sluggish, and she couldn't force it to think fast enough. "Huh? Why?"

"Because," Cliff explained carefully, "_we_ know about the pregancy - "

"So?" Nami interrupted, without giving herself time to properly consider his words. But then, slowly, as her brain absorbed the information, she managed to cotton on. "_We_ know," she concluded, "but Rock doesn't. And, if Muffy chooses to avoid the Valley, he may never know."

"Exactly."

This would take some deliberation, Nami decided. She hadn't even thought of that. Her mind had been so intensely focused on Muffy, that she hadn't really considered how all this would affect Rock. How on earth would he react? she wondered. She'd told Muffy that he'd be thrilled, but that was really only a way of convincing the troubled barmaid to do the right thing. Perhaps he truly would be pleased; it was just so hard to predict.

Nami ran a tired hand through her dark red hair, thinking hard. Would it _really_ be so great if Rock was pleased at the news? After all, there was no guarantee that Muffy would return with the child. Assuming, of course, that she actually kept it. It would be simply terrible for Rock to be left waiting and wondering all his life.

"I think it's clear that we only have one option," she said wearily.

Cliff nodded vigorously. "Yeah, so I do."

Nami could only hope that Cliff felt the same as she did over the matter. He certainly would if he had any sense at all, anyway. "We can't tell Rock," she burbled in a rush. "It's not our place to; that's Muffy's job."

"Exactly - " Cliff began to stay, only to stop abruptly, his face darkening. Apparently, he had automatically assumed Nami would agree with him - only for her views to contradict his own. "_What!?"_ His voice exploded violently into the calm night air, surprising Nami greatly. She shuffled backwards a little out of shock. "How can you say that?" Cliff asked her incredulously.

"Easily," Nami answered smoothly. She stared at Cliff wonderingly, unable to figure out why he felt so strongly about this. His eyes burned angrily at Nami in way she'd never seen before, and, it had to be said, never wanted to see again. "Look, I know Rock, okay? You don't know the first thing about him. We _can't_ tell him. It would devastate him if Muffy never returned. In fact, he's probably upset enough as it is. They have to sort this out themselves."

Unfortunately for Nami, Cliff seemed resistant to her words. "Well, I don't see how we can go _without_ telling him," Cliff argued. He wasn't usually this fierce in his convictions, which threw Nami considerably. "If I was going to be a father I think I'd like to know about it, thanks."

"Can't you see how awkward the circumstances are?" Nami retorted. Her shock at Cliff's reaction began to fade, as her argumentative side flared into life. "We have no right to tell him. Trust me, he's better off not knowing."

"He's not!" Cliff countered furiously. "Trust _me_ on that one, okay? I haven't seen my sister in years and I'd hate it if I knew someone was keeping information about her from me."

For a brief moment, Nami was silent. She hadn't even known that Cliff had a sister, though quickly reminded herself that now was not the time to think about that. "At least if we don't tell Rock, he won't be torn up at the thought of a child he may never see. Like... you with your sister."

Cliff gawped at Nami, while she realised that he could at least see some reason in what she was saying. But Cliff's face and decision stayed firmly fixed. "Well I - I still think that - " he stuttered.

As soon as it came within her grasp, Nami pounced on victory in the most merciless fashion. "The bottom line is that we're not going back," she stated flatly. "And there's nothing you can do about that. Rock's my friend, so it's my decision. It's not as if you can go back and tell him anyway; you're a stranger to him."

"Well, some friend you are," Cliff snorted. Without warning, he was on his feet and paced away from Nami in one fluid, furious motion. His anger bewildered her slightly and caused the knawing sense of foreboding residing in her stomach to grow and grow. "You know... I really can't stand you sometimes," he told her in a wounding voice. Nami could only stare back, too shocked that shy, sweet Cliff was saying these words to actually form a coherent reply. "You can be _so_ irritating. It's all: oh we're not going back because I say so... _and that's that,"_ he mimicked sourly.

"That's not how I meant it, and you know it!"

Cliff swung back his foot and gave the bench outside the beach shack a hard kick, wincing as it made contact. "You may as well have done," he muttered.

Numbness washed over Nami, creeping into her mind and freezing her thoughts. She knew through the haze that was clouding her senses, that what Cliff had said wouldn't hurt so much if it wasn't at least partly true. If it was all completely unfounded and ridiculous, she could simply shrug it off, but it was impossible. She didn't even want to. "If you feel that way," she began slowly, "then why on earth did you want to travel with me in the first place?" Her voice was barely audible, but not in it's usually deadly way. Instead, she simply sounded dazed by his words.

Cliff, too, seemed a little surprised by his own ferocity. "It's not like I hate you," he said tiredly. "I wanted to travel with you because... well, if you must know, it was because I was lonely. Initially, at least. And you seemed nice - well not exactly _nice_ but - " Nami spluttered with laughter at that, and Cliff smiled back at her before continuing, "Mysterious, then? I don't know. You were independant like I was trying to be and... and I thought maybe you'd understand."

"Oh." Nami's tone was surprised, if a little deflated. "...I guess I shattered that illusion pretty quickly."

To her further shock, Cliff laughed. "No, you didn't!" His anger abated, he swept back across the beach and flopped down next to Nami. "We got on well, right? Remember that night on the mountain when we sat and looked at the stars? And the full moon?"

The grains of sand felt cold beneath Nami's fingers, but she knew how much they'd burn in the heat of the day. "Yeah, I remember," she whispered, running the palms of her hands gently across the beach's rough surface. "It was a bit like tonight."

They both glanced upwards to take in the bright stars spread out above. Dawn was steadily approaching and they were starting to fade far out across the sea, as a deep reddish tint grew more prominent in the sky. For a few blissful moments, Nami was content to simply sit and allow herself to become entranced. The peace didn't last long. Images of Rock and Muffy, the friends whose tentative relationship had once annoyed her so much, fought their way to the forefront of her mind and she wondered suddenly if she'd ever escape the grip of Forget-Me-Not Valley.

Sometimes - despite her pretences of indifference - she wondered why she even bothered trying.

* * *

Within what seemed like the blink on eye, Summer was gone. It whirled by in rush of searing heat, warm, uncomfortable nights and the occasional flash of lightning brightening up a darkened, storm churned sky. Nami wasn't hugely enthusiastic about the onset of Fall, despite the promise of more settled weather. To her, it was simply the arrival of another season in which they had not yet found Muffy.

Since leaving Mineral Town the next morning, in the wake of their argument, Cliff and Nami had continued on their travels. Even though he still felt strongly about it, Cliff backed down over the Rock issue and it was agreed that they wouldn't be returning to the Valley to tell him. Instead, they looked out for Muffy - as herself, Jade or perhaps a new alias - wherever they went. So far, however, it had been a fruitless effort.

Nami could scarcely believe that just a year ago she'd been fretting over something as trivial as having to attend a party Rock had arranged. Compared to what was going on now, it seemed ridiculous to worry about such a thing. The past year had changed her life dramatically. And to think... back then she didn't even know Cliff, and now they were travelling together? She'd never grown to trust someone so much in such a short space of time before. The real question was: had it been the right decision?

* * *

Fierce winds drove icy sleet and hail onto the quiet seaside village Nami and Cliff were currently staying in. Fall, in much the same way as Summer before it, was now quickly nearing it's end. And needless to say, with still no trace of Muffy, Nami was losing all hope.

One bitterly cold night, a few days into Winter, Nami left her room at the cramped Inn and ended up wandering the nearby beach restlessly. Unlike the sloping sands of Forget-Me-Not Valley, this particular cove was surrounded by small, but imposing cliffs. It had snowed earlier in the day and the sand glittered with a frosty covering, which crunched satisfyingly under Nami's trainers. She kept her arms wrapped tightly around her body to combat the chilling air. For some reason, her eyes were constantly being drawn skywards; there were no stars tonight, she noticed.

As she paced, Nami did some brief calculations in her head. The conclusions she came to - ones that had played on her mind for weeks, actually - only caused her heart to sink further. However you looked at it, a whole season had passed since they'd last seen Muffy and they were now into Winter. Muffy hadn't said when exactly she'd fallen pregnant, but it would have to have been in late Spring or early Summer for her to have had a quite a way to go, yet still be showing a little when they met her. And, of course,_ that_ in turn meant that - assuming the baby hadn't _already_ arrived - Muffy would be giving birth soon.

But where _was_ she? Nami thought despairingly. Her shaking hands made their way to her hair and tugged frustratedly at the strands of deep red. Before long, she was cradling her head between trembling fingers. _Don't cry... _she silently willed herself. _Please don't cry now... _

"Nami?" said a rather familiar voice. "Are you okay?"

She jumped, wiping her wet blue eyes hurriedly. "Cliff! You - you followed me."

The tall, thin figure of Cliff approached Nami slowly. As he reached her, he nodded his head. "Yeah, sorry about that," he told her apologetically. "I just went to your room to ask you something, that's all, and I got no answer. So I went to look for you. You mentioned that you liked the beach here, remember?"

"Mmm." Nami closed her eyes as she let the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks wash over her. "And what was it you wanted to ask me about?" she added, opening her eyes and peering at him.

Cliff shrugged, staring out to sea rather than at Nami. "Oh, it was nothing really," he explained. "I just... just wondered if you were okay, really. Only you seemed so distant at dinner, Nami."

She sighed, "I had other things on my mind." It wasn't a lie. For hours, _days_ even, her mind had been dominated by troubled thoughts of Rock and Muffy. Even in her dreams, her decision not to return to the Valley was questioned. Whether or not it had been the right choice, she was now deeply unsure.

Nami jerked as Cliff's hand came to rest nervously on her shoulder. "What things?" he asked softly, though she was pretty sure he already had a good idea.

"Everything," she replied and, for once, it didn't even feel like an exaggeration. "I've been thinking about Muffy and the baby. Back when we found out, it was only a word, an idea. But now, after so long, it feels real... What?" she added, noticing the trepidation that had suddenly crept into Cliff's expression.

He avoided the question at first, instead watching as his breath came out as visible puffs of mist in the frosty air. "S-so you regret your decision?" he stammered eventually.

"Yes." If Cliff was at all surprised by that answer, it was nothing compared to how Nami felt. She'd expected some lie or evasion to slip from her lips, but the truth startled her. She _did_ partly regret the choice she made. And not simply for selfish reasons. Deep down, Nami knew she had been expecting everything to turn out fine with Muffy. She'd been secretly hoping they could find the girl and make things right. But they hadn't and now everything was such a huge mess. Her original feelings of anger towards the barmaid had vanished and now she fully understood how lost and alone Muffy must have felt.

At this particular moment in time, she felt it too. "So what are we going to do?" Cliff mused wearily, and Nami shook her head emphatically, not wanting to be the one to decide again. "Come on, Nami," Cliff went on. His hand squeezed her shoulder now. "You know we're not going to find her any time soon. And as you said before: Rock's _your_ friend, so it's your decision."

Nami wrenched away from him, panicking as she felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Don't!" she begged. "I don't know what to do anymore. You were right; this _is_ a difficult position to be in... I - "

Cliff skidded to catch up with her, as she stormed the length of the shadowy beach. "What's wrong?" he interrupted, drawing level and grabbing her arm before she could pull away. "What's the problem?"

"Don't you see?" Nami cried. "I thought I could walk away from everything, but I can't. I _was _forgetting, I _was_ moving on, but... then Muffy came along. I tried to pretend that I could just forget them and their problems and move on with my life. But I just can't. Muffy was right; Rock is my friend. So is she. And - and we have to go back," she concluded miserably. "Yes, I'm not sure exactly what I'll do when we get there, but I do know we should go back. Yes."

There was a moment's pause in which Cliff considered his companions words. Nami surprised herself by feeling little or no regret over what she'd proposed. It was almost as though she'd known all along that she couldn't stay away from the Valley forever. It was just a pity that it was to happen under such dire circumstances. "Okay," Cliff agreed. "If that's what you want, we'll go. From where we are now, it should take, oh, a week or so to get back to Forget-Me-Not?"

Nami found herself smiling. "You're the geography expert," she laughed. "You tell me!"

"Carrying a map does not make me an expert," Cliff explained, grinning. "It's simply common sense - _argh_ - " He recieved a sharp nudge in the ribs. " - Something which you don't seem to have."

"Ha! You might call it idiotic, but _I_ call it carefree," Nami countered. It did feel a bit ironic, though, as she was certain she looked anything _but_ carefree at that particular moment. She only had to observe the faint flicker of concern in Cliff's dark eyes to realise that.

"We'll agree to differ, then?" he asked.

Still smiling for what felt like the first time in an age, Nami nodded. She fell into step with Cliff as they wandered aimlessly along the shoreline. Only, once the joking around had stopped, the depressing reality of the situation settled over the pair again. Nami still felt as hopeless as ever, but was praying that she wouldn't start _crying_ again, for Goddess sake. Cliff rambled on and on about his plans for travelling back to the Valley, but Nami wasn't really listening. She simply let his words wash over her and found that the deep rumble of his voice could be rather soothing.

"Cliff," she wondered aloud, as the thought occured to her, "remember that night after Muffy left? You said you wanted to travel with me partly because you were lonely, right?"

"Um... yeah?" Cliff answered awkwardly. Judging by the interesting shade of pink his cheeks had flushed, this was a difficult topic for him. Perhaps, if it weren't for the heat of their argument that night, he'd never have divulged such a thing.

Nami was almost unsure if she should continue the conversation, and it was only the odd, churning sensation in the pit of her stomach which convinced her to do so. "Well, did it work?" Cliff stopped and stared at her, obviously perplexed. "Did I remedy it? Your loneliness?"

"A - _Ohh_." Cliff had frozen completely and, honestly, Nami didn't blame him. "Well... yes. Yes, you did." As soon as he said it, Cliff lurched into a hurried walk once again and it was a struggle for Nami to keep up with him.

Cliff whirled around unexpectedly, before Nami could comment. "What about you, then?" he questioned his companion, causing a confused frown to form on her face. "You never did tell me why _you_ agreed to my idea of travelling? I mean, you didn't have to."

No, Nami thought, no she didn't. So... _why?_ It was a question only she could answer. And yet, somehow, she couldn't. Sure, she could take the easy way out and tell him she'd simply agreed because it felt like there was no other option. It felt like the right thing to do at the time. And she didn't want to appear rude. But that was rubbish and they both knew it.

The truth was Nami didn't know what exactly had possessed her to let Cliff join her. It couldn't have been simply for the risk, surely? Cliff was too shy and nervous to be considered a risk and she wasn't foolish enough to do something like that. She trusted him, though, that was for sure. Exactly why she'd agreed, however... Nami couldn't say. She jogged to keep up with him and shrugged. "I really don't know," she admitted.

"Fair enough."

Silently, the travellers slowly began to head back off the beach and towards their Inn. Half-way along the winding path into the village, light snowflakes began to fall in tight spirals. Nami flexed out her arm and let the tiny flakes land on her hand, only to disappear as they made contact with her warm skin. Cliff shook his head at her in mock exasperation. "Are you okay now?" he asked more seriously.

Nami fixed him with a piercing look. "When was I not?" she countered, sounding for a moment as though her usual defiance had never left.

"Okay," Cliff said, turning away and walking ahead. From her current angle, Nami couldn't quite make out his expression. She could guess from his tone, however, that it would be teasing. "Suurre... " he continued jokingly. "You weren't upset at all..."

"_Cliff!_" Nami snapped. In her haste to keep up with him, she ended up skidding and sliding on the dangerous, icy ground. Arms flailing manically, Nami managed to latch onto Cliff and somehow pulled herself in front of him. "I was _not_ upset," she gasped, struggling to catch her breath. "And I _certainly_ was not crying."

It seemed that Cliff couldn't quite contain himself, as a small chuckle escaped his lips. At that point, Nami simply lost it. Yes, there was no doubt about that. In fact, it was the only thing she was certain of during the following few seconds.

That and the fact that her lips were inexplicably in contact with Cliff's.

She knew this because - for some reason her brain couldn't tell her due to it's sudden absence - she had actually initiated this 'kiss'. If you could even call it that. Could you? Well, their mercifully _closed_ mouths were touching for one thing. And the contrast of his rough lips against her soft ones was hard to ignore and - and - _nngh - _

Her brain finally returning, Nami pulled away forcefully, uncaring that she stumbled on the ice. There was a terrible, shocked silence, as the two travellers simply stared at each other. If Nami thought Cliff had blushed his worst at Muffy's comment that day in Mineral Town, she was now proven wrong in spectacular style. His cheeks moved swiftly from pale pink to red to crimson and then on to deep, undeniable _purple._ His mouth hung open and it seemed that his mind had been rendered blank.

Nami's voice was the first to return. "I - I did it to, um, shut you up," she burbled frantically. "Right? _Right?"_

"Nami?" Cliff squeaked in a clearly terrified voice.

Just pretend it didn't happen, Nami's mind was screaming. Well, part of it was anyway. The other side was yelling _why, why, why?_ on a continous loop. "Come on, Cliff," Nami said in her most matter-of-fact voice. She gestured along the pathway in front of them. "We'd really better be getting back, okay?"

"But you - "

"But I _nothing_," she retorted fiercely. The red-head made a wild grab for Cliff's hand, but missed and clasped his wrist instead. She ended up dragging him up the hill in the way a mother would drag a misbehaving toddler.

Not another word was exchanged between the pair, until they reached the short corridor in which their rooms were situated. As she unlocked her own door, Nami turned to Cliff who still gawping at her in sheer disbelief. "So we'll leave for the Valley tomorrow," she clarified. "Is that okay with you?"

Numbly, Cliff gave a little nod, but stayed rooted to the spot. "Good_night, _Cliff,_"_ Nami said pointedly, closing the door with a sharp snap. Once she heard his footsteps disappearing down the corridor, she leant wearily against the white-washed walls of her cramped room and sighed heavily. She was far too tired to even try and comprehend what had just happened... what _she_ had just done.

Nami groaned as she flopped down onto her bed. The ancient springs beneath her did likewise. From where she lay, the night's sky was just visible from the high set window. It was snowing more heavily than ever now, but a small gap had formed in the clouds and she could a few solitary stars twinkling through. With a sudden jolt, she was forcibly reminded of the night on Mineral Beach. And her and Cliff's argument.

She curled up harder, trying to sleep and trying to forget. Trying to forget the fight which had resolved nothing, but at the same time told her everything she needed to know.

* * *

**A/N -** Well, that wasn't a bad length for a chapter, was it? I know mine are usually quite short, so this makes a nice change. I said a few chapters back that Tales was probably going to surpass its prequel and end up at 20 plus chapters. That seems to have been a bit of an over-estimation and I think Tales is more likely to be the shorter of the two. Exams are over and I'm off school until September, so this'll probably be finished sooner rather than later. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a review!


	16. In Four Seasons

**Disclaimer -** Harvest Moon is not mine.

**Author's note -** Arrrggggh... sorry for this late update. I don't know how I got so behind. Well, actually I do. Blame it on the three oneshots I posted since the last time I updated this. Hopefully, the long-ish chapter (by my standards) will make up for it. Also, I worked out that there'll be two chapters after this one, plus an epilogue. And then it'll finally be finished. Phew! I feel like I've been writing this story for the longest time. Thanks, and sorry for the wait, to my reviewers: **Chicken Yuki**, **Zianna** and **Alien-Child**.

* * *

In Four Seasons

Forget-Me-Not Valley hadn't changed a bit in the year Nami had been away. Even the weather was identical. The Winter she returned in was every bit as ferocious as the one from which she departed. It seemed as though the place was timeless.

The returning travellers stood at the top of the long, sloping path that led down into the village. From their current vantage point they could see just about everything; the beach, the woods and the Goddess Pond, Robyn's Ranch, the Inner Inn... And it all sparkled beautifully beneath several inches of newly fallen snow.

Today, the weather had calmed a little and the sun was occasionally managing to shine weakly through a blanket of thick clouds. It wasn't snowing yet, but if the storms of the past weeks were anything to go by, it would be soon. In fact, it was only the trecherous weather conditions which had kept Nami and Cliff so far behind schedule and stopped them from reaching the Valley as soon as they'd planned. It was now actually nearer the end of the season, rather than the beginning.

Nami shivered at the sight of it all, but told herself that it was simply a result of the bitter cold. She reminded herself firmly that they were here on business, so to speak, and nothing more. As she took a resigned step forward, Cliff's arm flew out to stop her.

She sighed. "What now?"

Cliff had been much quieter than usual in the aftermath of their 'kiss' - though Nami was reluctant to label it as anything more than a mistake - and it was actually quite a surprise to hear him speak willingly. Recently, he seemed to have taken on a policy of only speaking when spoken to. It had been fun for a while, but quickly became rather unnerving.

"Just be careful, that's all," he told her gravely.

Perplexed, Nami stared back at him. "Of...?"

"The road's steep and it's dangerous in bad weather," he explained nervously. "I've, um, had bad experiences here..."

It was tempting for Nami to ask exactly what those experiences might be. In the end, she didn't dare. Besides, there were more important things to be thinking of, especially their imminent meeting with Rock. "Look, hurry up, Cliff," she sighed instead, striding forward. He followed after her with all the trepidation of a highly strung feline.

Once they were on level ground with snow up to their ankles, Cliff finally relaxed. He let out a gasp of relief reminiscent to someone who'd just narrowly cheated death. "I guess that wasn't so bad," he admitted.

Nami raised an eyebrow. "You look like you're expecting a rock to fall on your head," she informed him, before sweeping away. Or she tried to, at least. It was difficult to be elegant, she discovered, when you had to wade through thick, numbingly cold snow. Following a moment of hesitation, Cliff bounded after her. They passed by Vesta's crop farm in silence; it was eerily still in the dead of Winter. Seeing the normally thriving, colourful fields empty and bleak was almost saddening.

As they approached the wooden bridge that crossed the river and led onto the mainstreet, Nami was in turmoil. There were such a mixture of feelings rushing through her, she didn't know which way to turn. On the one hand, she felt hopelessly on edge; imagining that villagers were watching from their windows, and that at any minute someone would come running out, forcing her into a confrontation she just wasn't ready for.

But on the other hand, however... she'd never felt more at home. Every little sight they passed caused a strangely enjoyable jolt of recognition within Nami's head. All her memories of the place came flooding back as she drank in the scene around her.

Before long, the Inner Inn towered above them. It seemed much taller and more imposing than Nami remembered. Her stomach swirled unpleasantly at the very thought of going inside. She stopped dead, and, as he turned to her, Cliff did likewise. It was so strange, she thought, staring the building up and down. You think you know a place brick for brick - figuritively speaking as the Inn was a wooden structure - but, despite having only been away for a year, it just looked different somehow. Either Nami had never noticed those hanging baskets before, or else her memories of the place had faded faster than she realised.

She jerked out of her reverie, when Cliff gave her a gentle nudge with his elbow. "Shall we go in?" he asked quietly. It took Nami a second to steel herself, before swallowing hard and nodding. She made a mental note not to be so pathetic in the future.

"I don't know why I'm acting so worried about bumping into Rock," she confided to Cliff, as they steppped up to the front door. "It's only nine o'clock, and I don't think I've ever seen him up this side of noon."

Chuckling, Cliff reached for the door handle and swung it open. For some reason, Nami felt as though she'd been expecting some kind of fanfare. She certainly hadn't expected silence. The foyer, it turned out, was empty. Neither Ruby, nor her husband Tim were manning the reception desk. Feeling slightly perplexed now, Nami crossed over to the kitchen, with Cliff trailing along behind. "Are you sure it's okay to go in there?" he questioned, as Nami made to enter.

"Of course," she sighed, wandering into the tiny room. "This is an Inn, after all. And I did live here for ages. Anyway, there's no one there," she added, walking straight back out into the deserted foyer.

The red-head felt a little fazed now, though Cliff didn't seem too bothered. "Perhaps it's a Festival day," he shrugged.

But Nami quickly rejected this idea. "No, we don't really have many festivals around here," she explained. "I think people sometimes meet up at the New Year or for a Harvest Festival, but those are just little parties in the Blue Bar." Instead, she shook her head and skipped off towards the stairs. Sighing, Cliff followed.

They emerged onto the landing so familiar to Nami. She smiled contentedly, as she remembered all the lazy mornings spent here and the bizarre conversations with Rock. Cliff, too, glanced around appreciatively, his eyes caught by the various exotic plants and statues. "That was my room," Nami told him nostalgically. Out of habit, she tried the door handle, but was unsurprised to find it firmly locked. "Rock's room is that one there," she continued, pointing out the door opposite her old one.

At the sight of it, Nami's stomach twisted in a perculiar manner. Perhaps it was the thought of Rock being so close when she hadn't seen him for so very long. She made her way, wordlessly, to his door and paused, wondering if she really dared to knock. He was surely in there at this hour. There was no way he could be up. She _wanted_ him to be there... right? Sure, she'd have to deal with the Muffy issue right now and he may be upset and... _oh, just do it!_

Without giving herself time to change her mind, Nami hammered on the solid wood. Then she simply waited. There was no immediate reply, but with Rock's reputation as a heavy sleeper it wasn't a cause for concern. At least not at first. Of course, after the fourth failed attempt to rouse the boy, Nami would have to admit that it was more than likely that he was out somewhere. Judging by the eery silence that hung heavily in the air, he wasn't the only one. After all, such courteous hosts as Ruby and Tim would have realised they had guests by now, surely?

The lingering feeling of emptiness about the Inner Inn filled Nami with discontent. She stepped away from the door resignedly. "Let's go then, Cliff," she sighed, and the pair traipsed back down the wooden staircase.

"I just don't understand it," Nami confessed as soon as they were back outside. She glanced all around, but the cobbled street remained as deserted as the Inn behind them. "Maybe... maybe he left the Valley in search of Muffy. It's not that unbelievable; he was really crazy about her."

"Well, then where exactly are his parents?" Cliff cut in reasonably. He opened his mouth, presumably to say more, but then froze suddenly, looking beyond Nami. "You're wrong," he added simply.

"What - ?" Nami started to say, staring at her companion incredulously. Her thoughts had been racing so fast that she missed the click of a door opening behind her. What she didn't miss, however, was the joyous whoop that followed it. Even poor, deaf Galen at the other side of the Valley couldn't possibly of missed _that _explosion of noise.

"YES! Yes, yes, _yes!"_ someone screamed into the calm, formerly peaceful air. A very familiar someone. Nami's heart leapt almost painfully as she whipped around. Stood in the snow, probably freezing as he seemed to be wearing pyjamas, was none other than the blond haired boy they'd been searching for. Rock stopped in the motion of punching the air triumphantly, when he noticed he had an audience. His light brown eyes became very round indeed at the sight of the travellers. "N - Nami?" he stammered, staring intently between her and Cliff. He looked as though he'd seen a ghost.

"Oh! Rock - I - " But Nami got no further than that. Before she could say anything else, Rock flew towards her with another ecstatic yelp. His arms wound tightly around Nami as he reached her, and her vision became obscured by a mass of shiny, blond hair. "_Mmpf... _Rock!" she mumbled, as he practically crushed her. "Get off!" After a while of putting up with it, Nami shoved him away forcefully, but even then it was really only for appearences.

Once Rock had drawn back, Nami was able to look at him properly. It was fair to say that the year they had spent apart had left the boy largely unchanged. His hair was still bleached its blondest and his pearly teeth were still an unnaturally white shade. His gleaming eyes were perhaps a little more tired than they had been, but he looked nowhere near as distraught as Nami had expected. Maybe, she mused, he was simply putting on a brave face. Or - or he was simply pleased to see an old friend. It was hard to tell.

Rock dragged his eyes away from Nami and turned to Cliff. In spite of the situation, she nearly giggled at the wary look he shot at the thin traveller. Cliff looked a little nervous, but reached forward and shook Rock's hand briskly. "Um... hey," he said by way of introduction.

Rock, on the other hand, was a lot more blunt. "So are you two, y'know - ?"

The only reply he recieved was sharp _twack_ on the shoulder from Nami - just like old times. "Rock!" she scolded sharply, rolling her eyes at him. "As if that's any of your business - " Beside her, she felt Cliff give a tiny jerk " - Must you be so impertinent?"

There was a moment's rather confused pause. "Uh... yeah?"

Nami rolled her eyes again and exhaled huffily. She would've loved to say something scathing, but found herself cut off when the door to Doctor Hardy's clinic opened wider. It was only then that she realised that that was where Rock had come running from... yelling at the top of his voice. Huh. That couldn't make less sense if it tried...

The formiddable shape of Doctor Hardy himself emerged slowly from the doorway and shot a fierce glare in Rock's direction. "Have you lost your mind, man?" he barked. Cliff recoiled visibly at the sight of the old man's strange, mechanical eye and garish scars. "Leaving a door open in the middle of winter," he ranted on, tutting disapprovingly. When his one remaining eye roved over Nami, however, his face contorted into a wide grin. "Nami, it's good to see you back."

Nami nodded politely, though, internally, she was dying to ask what on earth was going on.

"She's asking for you," Hardy added to Rock. He turned to go back inside, muttering darkly, "Though why, I'll never know... " The door to the clinic slammed shut with a harsh snap.

Her heart beating wildly, Nami spun to face Rock. "What does he mean?" she asked in a mere whisper, hardly daring to hope. "Who's 'she'?"

Rock's face cracked into a smile similar to Hardy's - only not quite as terrifying. "Oh Nami, you'll never believe it," he burbled, his eyes drifting a little as they took on a faraway gleam. Nami struggled to remember where she'd seen that look before. "You two turning up completely distracted me. Come on. You too, um..."

"Cliff," Nami supplied, as they followed Rock up to the door. She shot a half-hopeful glance at her friend, trying to gage his opinion, but Cliff only shrugged objectively. There were far too many possibilities racing through Nami's head for her to sort them properly. It didn't exactly help that her heart was doing a drumroll, either.

When they stepped into Hardy's cramped, one-room clinic, any rational thoughts dissolved in a wave of blissful relief. And _disbelief_, for that matter. Nami leant heavily against Cliff, as she took in the scene around her. Several pairs of curious eyes glanced up towards the travellers. Ruby who was sat beside the one hospital bed let out a little squeak and Tim, who lingered at the far end of the room, could only gawp.

Just now, Nami had no time for them. Her own eyes searched for the one person whose presence truly mattered. Muffy. She was led in that same, small hospital bed peering up at her guests regretfully. If Rock had looked even slightly tired, it was nothing compared to Muffy. Her face was pale and drawn while her hair fell in unbrushed curls. Somehow, in the oddest sense, she looked... better for it. Nami's stomach did a very real somersault at the sight of the tiny blundle of blankets clasped in Muffy's tired arms. "...Muffy went into labour in the night," Rock was saying distantly, "we have a son. _My_ son... can you even believe... "

At the same time, the barmaid emitted a tiny gasp of recognition. The infant lying obscured amongst the blankets, stirred slightly, but made no sound. "Nami," Muffy murmured. "I don't know what to say. I - I'm so, so - "

"You came home," Nami interrupted. Softly. That little fact was all that seemed to matter right now.

Finally, Muffy smiled. It was weary and, yet, unlike anything Nami had ever seen before. "As did you," her friend replied.

* * *

It didn't take Nami long to remember exactly why she adored the Inner Inn. In a word - or, okay, _two_ - it was Ruby's Cooking. A term which deserved capitalisation for the sheer brilliance of what it described. Cliff, too, was soon proclaiming that he'd never tasted better food.

Days had passed since the birth of Rock and Muffy's son and the traveller's arrival in the Valley. Judging from what they heard, Muffy had been around for the remainder of her pregnancy and so must have returned to Forget-Me-Not relatively soon after abandoning them in Mineral Town. Rock never mentioned her brief desertion of him, so neither of the pair brought it up.

They'd been convinced by Ruby and Tim to stay at the Inn for the time being. Nami didn't know for how long exactly, but she was content enough at the moment. In actual fact, she hadn't taken a great deal of persuading. Seeing the sheer natural beauty of the Valley once again, even in the midst of a fiercely cold winter, had brought all sorts of memories flooding back. The place was so wonderfully calm and tranquil; even Cliff was soon in awe of it. Nami quickly understood what Muffy had said to her - it was just like returning home.

One evening, during a particularly bitter snowstorm, Nami, Cliff, Ruby, Tim and Rock were all packed into the Inn's long, narrow kitchen. The savoury aroma of Ruby's famous vegetable stew lingered on in the air even as the dishes were cleared away. Surprisingly, it was Rock who had taken on this chore, having started to develop some form of responsibility following the birth of his first child. Meanwhile, Tim 'treated' Cliff and Nami to further extended tales of his travelling days. Funnily enough, whenever the conversation turned to places _they'd_ seen, the innkeeper lost all interest. Cliff, though, seemed eager to impress and chortled far too enthusiastically at the end of each story. To be honest, Nami didn't know why he was bothering. Ruby had already taken him under her wing, calling him a 'poor scrawny boy' and offering him the largest helping of stew.

Halfway through a dessert of apple pie, the door to the kitchen was flung open and Muffy stepped over the threshold. Instead of her usual red dress and high heels, she was wearing a cream nightgown with her silky blue cardigan thrown over the top. "Dylan won't settle, Rock," she told her boyfriend tiredly. "He keeps fussing."

Nami cast a wary glance at the restless newborn in Muffy's arms. In her book, fussy was a massive understatement. Especially at two o'clock in the morning. All he did from that time until sunrise, was wail and moan and screech. She ended up fleeing to the balcony of her old room in a desperate bid to escape the noise. The fact that it was the coldest night of the year so far, didn't seem to matter when Dylan was attempting to scream the place down. Most annoying of all, though, was Cliff, who slept on obliviously in his bed.

Across the table, Rock looked every bit as anxious as Nami. In his case, however, it was because he was being forced to abandon his slice of apple pie. "I'll get the formula together, then," he sighed, getting up and moving back towards the counter.

Muffy's exhausted face relaxed into a smile. "Oh, thank you," she beamed at him. Then, she turned to a confused Nami. "Could you hold Dylan for a mintue, please? So I can help Rock?" Suddenly - and rather worryingly - Nami found her mind void of plausible excuses. Beside her, Cliff was grinning knowingly as he swallowed a spoonful of apple filling. And the next thing she knew, the baby was being pressed into her arms and Muffy had swept away with barely a 'thanks'.

Nami blinked. This was the first time she'd held Dylan - though everyone else, even Cliff, had done it more than once - and it was a surprise. He weighed more than you'd expect for such a tiny baby and he felt warm too. Nami supposed this was normal for all babies, but, not having come into contact with all that many, she couldn't really be sure. Muffy was right, though; he sure could fuss. The little boy wriggled about in his pale blue sleeper suit making Nami fear she would drop him at any moment. She held on to him a bit tighter, but that only caused him to make a strange, low grunt from the back of his throat.

It was amazing how much Dylan already reminded her of Rock. Of course, _physically_ there was no real resemblance. Dylan's fuzz of newborn baby hair was light brown in colour - Rock's natural shade - while his pretty green eyes were every bit his mother's. It didn't seem as though he was going to take after his father appearance wise at all. Unless he started to dye his hair blond at the age of twelve. But nevertheless, she could still imagine a very Rock-like grin gracing little Dylan's face one day.

"Hmm. Someone's enjoying themselves, eh?"

Nami jerked her head upwards, surprised, and found herself staring into Cliff's encouraging smile. Childishly, she ignored his comment and simply stuck her tongue out. "Whatever."

Cliff only laughed at her reaction and, after putting his fork down with a _clang_, leant across to the baby. "Here, watch this," he whispered over the chatter in the background. "It's so cute."

He took Dylan's chubby fist and laid his index finger across the boy's palm. Dylan craned his head around and after just a second, four tiny fingers curled instinctively around Cliff's larger one. Nami felt a smile spreading across her face, in spite of herself. "Cool," she murmured appreciatively, as Cliff glanced up to grin at her.

"You do it," he suggested softly, only for Nami to shake her head. "Go on."

Nami felt unsure, but the decision was taken out of her hands when Dylan groped for her finger of his own accord. "Aw..." Cliff cooed. Most embarrassingly, Nami felt the tell-tale sensation of blood rushing to her face. If there was one thing she truly hated, it was blushing. It always looked terrible, but especially so when you had such flaming red hair to match.

"Shut it, Cliff," she grumbled, flicking a piece of pie crust straight at him. It missed his right ear by an inch and landed on Ruby's pristine floor. "Oh, and look what you've done now," she added jokingly. "Why couldn't you have been a gentleman and let it hit you?"

Cliff's expression became one of mock annoyance. Wordlessly, he grabbed his own plate and retaliated fiercely. Nami was of the opinion that his defence was rather underhand. All _she_ had thrown was a tiny piece of pastry, while _he_ flicked a blob of cream. The difference being that pie crust would bounce off - not that it had even hit him in the first place - whereas cream, well... didn't. It was now splattered across her nose, of all places.

There was a pause, in which her companion seemed torn between laughter and sympathy. The result was a mixture of both. "I'm... I'm... s-sorry... N-N-Nami..." he spluttered through giggles, his voice eventually dissovling into nothing. To her surprise, Nami felt her own mouth almost twitch into a smile.

"What are you two up to?" Muffy tutted playfully, as she wandered back with a bottle for her son. "Hey, _you_ could feed Dylan if you want, Nami. He really seems to like you, you know." She had a point there. Having been distracted somewhat, the red-head had failed to notice that the baby had settled down considerably. He was no longer wriggling madly and was instead lying happily in her arms.

"Oh, I don't know - I - " she began, before being interrupted by Cliff.

He snorted disbelievingly. "I don't know what you're so, um, s-scared of... " Ironically, he ended up losing his nerve and ducking his head towards the end of that sentence.

Nami practically snatched the bottle from Muffy. "I'll show you who's scared," she said boldly.

By the following morning, there was no sign of the previous day's turbulent weather. The landscape was buried beneath an icy, white blanket, yet the air was clear and the sun shone brightly, if weakly, in the winter sky. It provided Nami with the perfect opportunity to re-explore the Valley. She'd scarcely left the Inn since arriving and it was beginning to drive her mad. Her imagination ran wild at the thought of finding out how much things had changed in four seasons. If the lives of Muffy and Rock had taken such a dramatic turn, it was hard to predict how things had changed for others.

Her first thought was to visit Flora at the dig site, but it was quickly quashed by the nagging feeling in the back of her head. Flora had become a totally different person after Carter's death, so it was impossible to say how she'd be feeling now. And perhaps... perhaps Nami was feeling a little guilty, too. Guilty about leaving the archeologist at such a difficult time.

On a complete whim, she turned and headed up the highstreet, towards Robyn's Ranch. A year ago, the talkative farmer was just about the last person she wanted to spend time with. But if you wanted gossip, however, Robyn was the Forget-Me-Not Valley queen of it. In the short time Nami had known her, the bubbly brunette had kept up to date with every last morsel of information. The only down side had been an unfortunate little rumour which claimed that she and Rock were a couple. It was, of course, ridiculous and Nami hoped that following the birth of his _son,_ Robyn would realise that she had been very, _very _wrong.

Just like Vesta's farm, the ranch looked depressingly deserted as Nami crossed the farmyard. There were no crops snaking across the fields, no chickens clucking or animals grazing, even the irritating farm dog she owned was nowhere to be seen; the place was utterly, eerily silent.

It was odd, but even the farmhouse itself looked darkened, as Nami reached out to knock on the door. She waited and waited, until she began to supect that Robyn was out somewhere. One more knock, to which there was no reply, and Nami gave up.

Neither Ruby nor Tim had mentioned anything about Robyn or any other villagers for that matter, so Nami hadn't a clue what had happened to her in the past year. Truth be told, everyone at the Inner Inn had been far too preoccupied with Dylan's birth to discuss the comings and goings about the Valley. Once out of the farm, she decided to wander down to the beach. The air felt crisp and cool around her, and she looked forward to the overwhelming scent of a salty ocean breeze.

As she approached, Nami noticed a tall figure stood by the shore for the first time. After a moment of squinting into the distance, she realised that it was Cody, the Valley's resident artist. They'd always gotten on reasonably well.

"Hey," she said softly, drawing level with him. It was a testiment to Cody's calm nature, that he didn't so much as blink at the sight of a girl who'd been absent for a whole year.

He acknowledged her with a nod, and said simply, "Nami," as a way of greeting.

Nami nodded back at him, wrapping her arms around her body as she did so, for the wind was bitterly cold this close to the sea. She felt rather small next to Cody, who was not only tall, but broad too. He could appear quite intimidating at first glance, with his torn clothes, brutally shorn hair and bright, polka-dot neckerchief. But Nami, though she tended to keep her distance from most people, gathered that he was actually a quiet, reserved person.

After a long pause, Cody spoke up. "It's only been a year, Nami," he remarked mysteriously, his eyes fixed on the steely grey waves, "but around here things have certainly... changed."

Nami could definitely agree with that. Her immediate thoughts were of Rock, Muffy and baby Dylan, but she found herself wondering what else Cody might be referring to. Surely, in such a close-knit community, they were not the sole source of gossip? Before she could inquire further, though, a voice broke through the morning air, yelling for Cody.

For one wild moment, Nami thought it might be Robyn, who wasn't exactly famed for her meek and mild personality. When she glanced over Cody's shoulder, however, she realised that the woman walking across the sands towards them was a total stranger. Truth be told, her dark brown hair was similar, but, unlike Robyn's, it was long and fell straight down her back in loose waves. She was wearing only a light blue, floor length dress made of a silky, shiny material. Nami, whose arms were still wrapped tightly around herself, shivered at the sight of it.

As the young woman approached, Nami noticed the oddest thing yet regarding her appearence. Daubed on her porcelain-pale left cheek, was a tiny lightning bolt in a glittery, electric blue. The traveller struggled not to gawk. That urge became even more difficult to deal with, when the girl slipped her hand into Cody's upon reaching him.

"Hey, Nami," she chirped in a voice that sent shivers of recognition through the red-head. _It couldn't be - ? _The second the girl's mouth curved into a grin, and the shape of her face changed completely, Nami realised the bizarre truth. It _was_ Robyn.

Or at least some strange, hippy clone of her, anyway.

Robyn let out a giggle; one a lot softer than Nami remembered. "Don't look so shocked!" she chided playfully. "I haven't changed _that_ much."

"S-s-so," Nami managed to choke out, still feeling as though she'd fallen into a parallel world. "You two are a, um - "

"Couple?" Robyn finished for her. She leant against Cody, who was a great deal larger than her. "Yes, but we're a little more than that." Nami glanced at Cody, disbelief written all over her face, and he replied with his first genuine smile. She gasped again when she noticed the tell-tale glint each time Robyn moved her hand.

"You're _married?!"_

"Yep," Robyn answered, her grin becoming increasingly wide so that she looked more like her old self.

"And what about your farm?"

"Gave it up," Robyn shrugged. She sounded so careless, as though the farm was nothing to her anymore. As if it simply didn't matter, compared to what she had now.

"Just like that?"

"Well, I wasn't that good a farmer, anyway," she replied, causing both women to burst into simultaneous laughter. Nami's own outburst felt a little bit forced and nervous; she was still in a complete daze over the whole thing. It had only been four seasons and things had taken a massive, unbelievable leap. What else had changed in the quaint little Valley?

Nami shook herself out of her daydream and started immediately when she noticed the sorrowful looks Robyn and Cody were now giving her. Compared to their previous ecstasy, it was a sudden, scary change and she had the sinking feeling that any further revelations about the people of Forget-Me-Not Valley were not going to be to her liking...

* * *

**A/N -** After reading that ending, you may be wondering what the fudge it was all about. Robyn and Cody!? Don't worry, I have my reasons and it should all become clear later. Well... that's the plan, anyway. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Reviews would certainly be appreciated, if you have the time. Thanks!


	17. Lost And Found

**Disclaimer -** I still don't own Harvest Moon.

**Author's note - **Sorry, sorry, sorry! It's a late update, I know, but chapter 17 is _finally_ here. I suppose the reason for the delay was the sheer amount I had to cram into this chapter. I've reached the stage now where I can't just say, "Oh, I'll leave that part out until later in the story," because this is nearly the end. Thanks, as always, to those who reviewed the last chapter: **Chicken Yuki**, **Alien-Child**, **Zianna**, **BerryRain** and **Blamby**. I hope you can all forgive the late update. Enjoy!

* * *

Lost And Found

It was snowing again. Fiercely this time, with heavy, swirling flakes that were whipped painfully at Nami by a merciless wind. She was up to her ankles in thick, slushy snow, yet didn't feel at all cold. She didn't feel much of anything. Just a deep, all-consuming numbness.

Being numb was kind of similar to being cold, though. Wasn't it? Only Nami thought she had gone beyond that. Who cared anyway? It didn't matter, just as nothing seemed to at that precise moment.

If anything, she was starting to feel oddly _warm._ Like she was burning from the inside out. Every part of her body was on fire. Blazing with heat. Needless to say, it wasn't a very pleasant sensation.

Nami stumbled on a patch of ice, as she reached the top of the hill. She blinked and shook her head dazedly, trying to work out how long it had been since she was stood with Cody and Robyn on the beach. It was hard to say, as time wasn't making much sense anymore. She swung her leg back and angrily kicked a clump of snow out of her way, before climbing onto the Valley's cobbled high-street.

The tell-tale _click_ of the Inn's front door opening barely registered in Nami's mind. Cliff had emerged onto the frozen street, but she didn't immediately notice him. Typically, though, he spotted her lingering on the edge of the road straight away. "Oh. There you are," he called over the howling wind, batting away the snowflakes that landed on his thick fringe. "You've been ages and the weather - and I - ohh - " Cliff's voice trailed away and disappeared into the fierce wind.

He was now frowning worriedly at Nami, as though her lost and distant expression had only just sunk in. "Are you... okay?" he asked, taking a concerned step towards her.

At the exact same time, Nami took a step back. Just as she did so, Cliff's outstretched hand brushed against hers. It felt so warm and alive and strange against her own icy, unfeeling skin that she let out a little shiver.

"Nami," Cliff persisted, looking her squarely in the eyes. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

There was no way Nami was going into that. Part of her almost _wanted_ to pour out everything to Cliff. He was bound to understand, after all. She knew him well enough now to know that he wouldn't blame her.

The problem was, though, for all Cliff's reassurance and understanding nothing would stop her blaming herself right now. Having someone to tell her it wasn't her fault, however true, simply wasn't going to help. Not now. Not yet. The part of Nami that wanted to be alone won her inner struggle and she quickly moved out of Cliff's reach, skillfully evading his grasp.

Hurt flashed across his face, but he wisely decided to stay back. "I just need to - to be on my own for a bit, okay?" Nami explained softly, her voice sounding a lot shakier than she intended. "Please?"

Her unusual politeness and faltering tone were all things Cliff would certainly of picked up on. But, after a pause and a reluctant sigh, her companion nodded wearily. "Well, sure. Of course. But you are _aware_ of the weather, right?" he protested feebily, as a last ditch attempt to instill some sense in her.

Nami snorted in spite of herself. "Yes," she said, exasperated. "It's snowing. I get that." The blurred flurry of flakes swirling between them made the latest wintery storm to whip through the Valley impossible to miss. "Just go back inside, Cliff," she added more somberly. "I need to think right now. Go on. I'll be back later." Nami turned on her heel to face the river in the distance, and walked on without another word. A quick glance over her shoulder as she reached the wooden bridge, only made her wish that Cliff wasn't such a master of the wounded puppy look.

Once she heard the door snap shut, however, Nami felt herself fill with the same emptiness that had temporarily abated during Cliff's presence. Now, as she trudged tentatively along the wooden planks, she sensed the crushing loneliness and guilt creep upon her once more. She walked on across the snowy landscape, sure of her destination, but not really convinced of what she was going to do once she reached it. That, along with her _true_ reason for going, was another matter entirely.

Nami glanced up towards the distant waterfall, where the dig site was situated, but turned away after only a moment's pause. Instead, she headed slowly down to the quiet, open area at the bottom of the Valley, which overlooked the ocean. On a clear day, you could probably see for miles. As it was currently, Nami could barely see a foot in front of her face. Shielding her eyes from the vicious onslaught of icy wind and sleet, she crept on in the direction Cody had instructed. _It was around here somewhere..._

There. The moment she clapped eyes on the dark slab of marble embedded in the earth, Nami felt herself become just as frozen as the dead winter ground beneath her feet. Forget blazing heat, forget burning from the inside out - this was a very different sensation. Slowly, she stepped forward and let out a tiny gasp. The stone was jet black, while the inscription was written in shining silver. Her eyes swept across the few words written there,

_In loving memory of,_

_Flora Bennett_

There were dates, too, along with those few simple words. It was actually the dates that surprised Nami most of all. Flora had been thirty-one - a whole ten years older than _she_ was - and she'd never even known. With a sickening feeling growing in her stomach, she realised that she hadn't been aware of Flora's last name either, and, for that matter, hadn't known her at all. Not really. Sure, such things as name and age could be thought of as unimportant and irrelevant to their friendship. After all, Flora hadn't known _her_ surname. But... it was still so strange.

A dull, but painful ache worked its way up from Nami's chest and into her throat. How could feeling so detatched from Flora make things seem even _worse?_ Surely, she reasoned, it should be the other way around? That's what she'd always taught herself: don't get attatched; it'll always hurt more in the end.

Today, though... today her theory was proven wrong. There was something disconcerting about realising that the chance to actually _know_ Flora had been taken away forever. It had been snatched away by force, and it hurt so much that she'd had no choice in the matter. Only Flora herself could have made that decision...

Now, all Nami had left were a few brief memories of what could have been a promising friendship. That's all it was really. A friendship that held promise, that _could_ have been great... but 'could' was the opperative word. And it was all gone now.

She was crying before she knew it, hot tears streaming down her icy cheeks so fast it seemed as though they'd never stop. Wiping a hand across her face made no difference; her vision remained hopelessly blurred and unfocused. All Nami could make out, in fact, was the huge mass of steely grey-blue in front of her. The ocean. She could only imagine how stunning the view from here would look on a bright, sun drenched day. Whoever had picked this spot for Flora - she suspected Cody, but wasn't entirely sure - had done a truly great job.

It was hard for Nami to say just how long she spent there, simply thinking things over. Before she left for the Inner Inn, she paused, her numb fingers moving unconsciously to the back of her neck. There she fumbled with the catch of her silver necklace until it came free and she was able to slip the chain off with ease. For a moment, Nami stood, entranced, staring at the huge drop of amethyst. Her tears had finally halted and she could see the gem glinting clearly in dim wintery light. No matter how she looked at it, all she could think of were Flora's strange, purple eyes.

Silently, she laid it gently on top of the marble slab. It felt like an odd thing to do, but she had nothing more conventional, like flowers, and didn't know when she'd be back again. Most of all, it felt right.

Then, with only a hoarse, final, "Goodbye", she was gone.

* * *

Upon her return to the Inn, Nami was greeted by a barrage of noise. She pushed the heavy, oak door open and stood, disorientated, in the the threshold as the sounds washed over her. The foyer was empty, she noticed, but the door to the kitchen was thrown wide open and various excited voices drifted through. Flashes of movement from beyond the doorway told her the cramped room was packed.

Nami inhaled shakily and backed towards the door. Whatever was happening, she suddenly didn't want to know. All the _noise,_ the overbearingly cheery atmosphere... it was too much. The air was so thick with it, she felt as though she'd choke.

"Nami?" a quiet voice asked, before she could slip away. "Is that you?" She glanced up at the last minute to see a familar thin face peering around the door frame. "Where are you off _now?" _Cliff asked, his voice tinged with a distinct edge of exasperation.

She shook her head, and let the door snap shut with a sigh. "Nowhere actually."

A grim expression grew on Cliff's face as he emerged from the doorway and crept over to her. The joyous sounds from the kitchen carried on obliviously, his absence clearly going unnoticed. "They told me," he explained in hushed tones, causing Nami to wince expectantly. "Ruby and Muffy and the others. About... Flora."

"Oh." She nodded again, jerkily this time. "Right."

"I - I'm so very sorry, Nami," Cliff said awkwardly. Tentatively, he reached out and gave her shoulder a brief squeeze. Brief, she guessed, because past experience had told him it was likely to be batted away. Ironically, though, Nami had had no such thought. She didn't know if it was the emotion whirling through her mind or what, but she _wanted_ Cliff's touch. For once, she truly didn't want to push him away or reject him. A strange rush of affection rushed over Nami and she found herself wanting othing more than to be enveloped by his arms. But, oh, it was stupid, so _stupid_ and soppy. And yet... she felt like everything would just drift away when he touched her. Argh. Stupid, _stupid... _

"Were you close to her?" Cliff enquired suddenly, bringing Nami back to earth with an unpleasant bump.

"No, not really," she answered morosely. "But in a way, that makes it all the worse, you know?"

"Yeah. I know," he said automatically. Nami wasn't entirely sure that he did, but knew it didn't really matter. _She_ understood and that was the truly important thing. Upsetting though it was, she could look back on her friendship with Flora and realise that she'd let something possibly wonderful slip through her fingers. Admittedly, it had happened under tragic circumstances, and she certainly couldn't have prevented Carter's death, but the guilt and wondering would always be there. Wondering what would have happened if she'd just returned to the Valley earlier, before Flora's death, or never left at all... Cliff had wanted to return much sooner, after all...

"I wouldn't blame yourself, Nami," he murmured, seemingly reading her thoughts. "What happened, it isn't your fault. You weren't even _here!"_

Judging by Cliff's involuntary cringe, his words weren't meant to come out like that, but still they cut through Nami like a sharpened blade. "That's the whole point," she hissed back angrily. "And why didn't any of those lot - " She gestured frantically towards the kitchen - "Tell me what had happened to Flora, huh?"

Cliff blinked nervously, but, surprisingly, didn't shy away from Nami's questioning. "I don't think it really occured to them," he explained hurriedly. "It may sound horrible, I know, but f-from what I gathered no one really knew what was going on with this Flora. She was distant, apparently, and I don't think anyone really - "

"Cared?" Nami spat. She knew she was being highly irrational, but the guilt was eating her alive - just as it had done to Flora. And somehow, she couldn't seem to deny the fury pumping through her veins.

"No," Cliff retorted evenly. "That's not true. I may not know these people as well as you claim to, but I _do_ know that much. As I said before, it sounds harsh, but you can't save everyone. In life, s-some rain will always fall. It has to."

"...And not everyone gets their happy ending," Nami finished tiredly. Her anger had drained away into a simple sense of deflation. The guilt hadn't fully departed, she was sure of that, but it was no longer quite as consuming.

After a short, tense silence, Nami spoke up. "So what's going on anyway? What's with the kitchen celebration?" The voices from the ajoining room had lowered to a dull rumble and Nami couldn't help but wonder what was so engrossing that her and Cliff's absence had completely slipped them by.

"Oh!" Cliff's face broke into a wide, genuine smile. "Well, Rock's finally asked Muffy to marry him and they've set a date for the spring."

"Oh," Nami echoed, surprised. She didn't know what she'd been expecting, but it certainly hadn't been _that._ The fact that she'd missed it was oddly irritating, too. After all, Rock's version of a proposal was bound to be priceless. Which really begged the question... why on earth had Muffy said yes?

"Come on, then," she sighed, guiding Cliff towards the kitchen. "Let's go congratulate the happy couple."

She rolled her eyes and Cliff snorted with laughter. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked her more seriously, once his amusement had faded.

_"Yes,"_ Nami told him determinedly. "...Just as long as I'm not asked to be a bridesmaid."

* * *

"Well, now that the dress is finally decided," Muffy said breathlessly, "the next big issue are the _flowers_. What do you reckon? Moondrops or Pink Cats?" Quite frankly, Nami couldn't have cared less about that question, but she didn't say so. What exactly was the difference between Moondrops and Pink Cats, anyway? To her they were just fancy names for sickly smelling weeds.

"Erm... I dunno," she mumbled eventually. "I prefer Trick Blues to be honest."

Muffy clicked her tongue thoughtfully and shared a look with Ruby. The two women shook their heads in unison, while Nami looked on, nonplussed. "Hmm, but they're a autumn flower, aren't they?" Muffy reasoned. "So there wouldn't be any around. I _do_ like the deep blue colour now that you mention it, so perhaps we could think about a _spring_ flower in that sort of shade..."

By that point, Nami's mind had drifted completely and all she could really hear from Muffy and Ruby were a series of excited squeaks and giggles. Needless to say, this was _not_ her scene at all.

It was the morning of New Year's Eve and the wedding was drawing ever closer. Muffy had therefore arranged another one of her dreaded pre-wedding meetings at her old bedroom at the Blue Bar, and Nami was required to attend. Mercifully, the issue of being a bridesmaid hadn't been raised, so she wasn't _too_ reluctant to take part. It was just a bit odd for her, that was all. She wasn't used to girlish chatter, meaning that Muffy and Ruby's conversations seemed rather irrelevant to her.

Nami's eyes flitted around the room she now knew so well - she'd have to after yesterday's marathon dress fitting - and landed on the only window. She peered through the crack in Muffy's ruby red curtains, out into a sky that looked heavy with snow. Despite the cosy warmth about the Blue Bar, the crackling fire downstairs and the polished wooden flooring, Nami couldn't help wishing she was back at the Inner Inn. Rock, Tim and Cliff were attempting to babysit Dylan - attempting being the key word - so it would be worth it for comedy value alone.

Apart from one moment yesterday, when Muffy had revealed some of Rock's terrible, self-written jokes, the wedding meetings were generally an amusement-free zone. She and Ruby took everything so _seriously. _Apparently, there was nothing remotely funny about the most important day in a girl's life. It was obviously a very serious business.

Nami had scoffed a little at that sentiment, thinking that if she were ever to get married, dresses, flowers and seatings arrangements would be the last thing on her mind. When she said as much, Muffy merely gave her a sympathetic look and claimed that she'd understand one day. Now _that_, of course, riled Nami up even further, but she surpressed the burning annoyance and simply smiled meekly.

Ever since finding out about Flora, she'd decided to work at the friendships she already had. Even when it was difficult and involved much more giving than taking. And just maybe there was a little bit of truth to what Muffy had said. Maybe.

* * *

The distant shriek of a rocket rang out across the Forget-Me-Not Valley bay. Nami jumped at the noise and stumbled, as the snow covered beach around her flashed pale blue for a split second.

"Clumsy," Cliff scolded over his shoulder, throwing out an arm to help her.

Nami frowned at him, but grudgingly took it so that the two of them were able to scramble onto the rocks at the far right edge of the beach. It was bitterly cold and incredibly uncomfortable sitting on the unforgivingly icy stone. "Why couldn't we have just watched from a window?" Nami grumbled, struggling to get comfortable in the limited space beside Cliff. "It's bloody cold, too."

A further far-off explosion eclipsed Cliff's sigh. "As I said before, we won't be able _see_ anything from up at the Inn," he explained; for it wasn't a Valley fireworks display they were watching, but one way in the distance, out across the sea. The display, wherever it was being held, was presumably a New Years celebration, and it had been Cliff's idea for him and Nami to watch from the beach. Muffy and Rock had declined their invitation in favour of spending Dylan's first New Years together as a family at the Inn. He wouldn't remember it, but they planned to take plenty of photographs nonetheless.

Nami shivered - more out of cold than anticipation, really - as yellow sparks rained down across the horizon. It surely wouldn't be long until midnight now.

"And if you're so cold, take this," Cliff continued, thrusting a red and yellow woollen blanket at her. "Er... Ruby knitted it for me," he added sheepishly, at Nami's questioning look.

"Good Goddess," she sniggered - but threw the blanket over both of their knees, rather than just her own. They stayed huddled together for a few more minutes before Cliff asked the dreaded question: "So what time is it?"

There was a moment of silence where they simply stared at each other. "Why are you asking me?" Nami replied eventually. "You're the one with a watch."

"I..." Cliff frantically scrabbled at his sleeve, before turning back to Nami red-faced and crestfallen. "Ah," he mumbled. "I may have, er, forgotten it?" The last was said as something of a question, as if silently adding: But promise you won't be _too_ mad?

"Oh great," she retorted sarcastically. "So how exactly are we supposed to count down to midnight without _actually_ knowing the time? The whole reason we came down here was to see in the New Year while watching the fireworks and now it's just going to pass us by."

"We could always just stay out until sunrise. Y'know, if - if you want to?" Cliff suggested. He sounded tentative and only truly relaxed when Nami nodded. "Good. I used to watch the first sunrise of the New Year back in Mineral Town. It was always really spectacular from the top of Mother's Hill. Ann and I went one year. That was how we... um... got... got... together."

Cliff's face had turned almost puce and he became increasingly interested in the fireworks. Anything to keep himself from looking at Nami she assumed. "I don't mind," she assured him lightly. Cliff whipped around and Nami answered his questioning look simply by shrugging her shoulders.

"So... it's okay then?" he asked.

"'Course it's okay."

"Because we're not...?"

"No," she answered. Automatically, without even thinking. It was her standard response; she didn't even give it a second thought or consider her true feelings.

"Right."

For a while, silence hung over the pair. They concentrated, instead, on watching the fireworks until the display faded into the darkness of the night. "Well, I guess that's it," Cliff said softly, speaking into the crisp, newly calm air. "It must be gone midnight by now." Nami didn't answer, her eyes fixed steadily on the lapping waves. "Perhaps next year we can go and look for that display. I'm not sure how far away it is exactly - could even be the City - but it'd be nice, right...?"

As he spoke, Nami's stomach was twisting itself ever tighter, until it became nothing more than a ball of pain, burning into her navel. It didn't take long for Cliff to notice her discomfort. "What? What did I say?" he asked, not even trying to hide his obvious concern.

Nami shook her head. "N - nothing," she mumbled into the warm material of the blanket. It was tucked under her chin and she knew she probably looked ridiculously vulnerable, but just couldn't summon up the energy to care when her insides were this knotted together. Unfortunately, Cliff didn't look ready to let the matter lie. She sighed resignedly and started to explain. "I've been thinking a lot recently and I've realised now that all these years spent travelling have just been one big search. A search for the one place I could call home and mean it. And I've found it now. _This_ is home. So, I guess what I mean is, I'm staying here... which effectively puts an end to our travelling. I'm really sorry."

The words tumbled out of her mouth faster than she'd planned, but with an unexpected coherency. There was no doubt, then, that Cliff had understood her point perfectly well. He said nothing at first, only nodded and stared off into the distance. It only took a minute of waiting for Nami to find herself wishing he would just say _something, _either good or bad.

"Well, I can't say I didn't expect it," he answered abruptly, just as Nami's patience was on the verge of evaporating. "I always knew you loved this place, and you only confirmed that when we arrived back here. Your feelings were written all over your face. I know you like to think you're the Ice Queen," he added, when Nami opened her mouth to protest, "but nothing could have been more obvious. And I guess I'm pretty glad to hear you finally admit it."

_"Glad?"_ Nami echoed hollowly, before she could catch herself. "You're _glad_ I'm not going with you?"

Cliff turned to grin at her, in a way that was most unlike him, and she felt her knotted stomach somersault unexpectedly. "Who says I'm going anywhere?" he countered, as Nami simply gaped. _He_ was staying, too? How... how would she... cope with that? It was a strange, scary prospect, but in a _good_ way. It was even a little exciting.

"I've really fallen for this town," Cliff went on, sighing contentedly as he took a deep breath of icy air. "I don't think I want to leave, anymore. I've always _wanted_ to settle, even though things didn't work out at my first choice, Mineral Town. And, at the risk of ruining the mood, I can't help but wonder where this, you know... leaves us..."

"Oh?" Her heart was positively thundering now.

"Y - yeah," Cliff replied, losing his nerve just a little. He quickly recovered, locking his dark eyes squarely with Nami's pale ones. "I was just wondering if it would be okay to, um, I mean it seems the natural thing and... and..." Jerkily, he bobbed his head forward then back, and suddenly Nami got it.

"Cliff, it's not very romantic to ask a girl's permission before you kiss her," she spluttered.

"Well, maybe you're not a very romantic sort of girl," he countered boldly.

And that's when it happened. The unexpected kiss. Cliff leant forward like it was the most natural thing in the world and... that was that. No awkward stuttering. No bumping of noses or teeth.

In fact... Nami had never seen him so efficient.

* * *

**A/N:** And that's it for this chapter. One more and the epilogue left to go... ahhh, the excitement! Thanks for reading and don't forget that reviews are always greatly appreciated and valued.


	18. Sometimes

**Disclaimer -** I still don't own it.

**Author's note - **Well, I finally got my computer working long enough to finish this so here, over a month late, is chapter 18. Excluding the Epilogue (which will be posted as soon as possible), this is pretty much the end. It's been over a year now, so I'm actually kind of grateful to be finishing! Thank you so much (and sorry for the huge wait) to everyone who has ever read, reviewed, favourited, alerted and so on. I'd never have got this far without all your support, so thanks very much and enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Sometimes

_"This_ is your home," Nami told the squirming infant in her arms. "This, Dylan, is Forget-Me-Not Valley. Pretty, isn't it?" she whispered into his soft, toffee-coloured curls.

Dylan's only response was to gabble meaninglessly and wave his chubby arms in the air - but at least he was enthusiastic. The morning of the 28th of Spring had dawned unusually warm and sunny in the Valley. Much to everyone's excitement, weather forcasters were claiming it to be the hottest day of the year so far - the _perfect_ setting for a beach wedding.

The Inner Inn was understandably, if uncharacteristically, busy on the morning of Rock and Muffy's nuptials. People were bustling about, making last minute arrangements, complaining, yelling, panicking... Nami, meanwhile, had snuck out onto the balcony of her room, taking Dylan with her to enjoy the fresh air and tranquility. She'd mentioned it many a time before, of course, but the view from her room was never anything less than stunning.

It was still officially Spring, but you could see that Summer was fast approaching. The blossom had started to fade from the trees weeks earlier than it should have done, while showers were becoming increasingly sparce for the time of year. Nami paused for a moment and let her mind drift way back to the Spring of two years ago, when she stood on this balcony for the very first time.

The contrast between the gorgeous weather today, and the weather back then, was startling. As the memories came flooding back, she recalled the heavy moisture in the air wrapping itself around her face and invading her lungs as she stepped outside and peered down at the Valley highstreet. The rain had been bordering on torrential that day, but nothing had managed to eclipse the feeling of awe in her chest when she first clapped eyes on her surroundings.

Things had moved on so much since the day she arrived. It seemed like a whole lifetime ago; and the wriggling baby in her arms was the perfect testament to that. Back when she first turned up, Rock and Muffy had been good friends and little more. Good friends who enjoyed heavy flirting, admittedly, but they gave no indication that they would soon be leaping into parenthood and marriage. Looking back, it was a real bolt from the blue.

Still... no one would have expected _her_ to run of travelling with a stranger, yet _that_ happened, didn't it? Nevermind the fact that they themselves were now more than 'just friends'...

The glass door behind Nami swung open suddenly. "It is _chaos_ in there," Cliff sighed wearily, striding up to her and raking a hand through his thick hair. He'd combed it extra carefully, in readiness for the wedding ceremony. _And_ he was dressed smartly. Of course, Cliff's version of smart clothes wasn't quite the same as everyone else's. Basically, he was wearing a tie. That in itself would have been fine, if not for the fact that he had simply thrown it over his ordinary clothes... thus ruining the entire effect.

Nami's ice blue eyes swept over his questionable attire. "Wow... you're looking odd as ever today," she remarked cheekily, swinging Dylan onto her hip as he started to grizzle. "Don't you think the tie's a little out of place?"

"At least I bothered to make _some_ sort of effort," Cliff responded immediately. "I see you haven't changed at all."

"I'm a little busy, in case you hadn't noticed," she shot back, quick as a flash. "Take Dylan for me and I'll go get ready. Go on."

Smirking slightly, she pushed Dylan towards Cliff's reluctantly outstretched arms. They trembled ever so slightly, and Nami found herself sighing. "Oh, Cliff! He's a baby, not a bomb, for Goddess sake."

"Yeah, I know," he grumbled, relaxing greatly and exhaling once the child was in his arms. Dylan craned around to peer at him with those curious, green eyes, and his breath hitched again. "It's just that he's got to the age where he's starting to pull hair now."

Nami laughed, but in truth she didn't really understand where Cliff was coming from. As Dylan had grown older, she had found herself growing closer to him than when he was a puking, screeching, wailing newborn. Sure, he was better equipped to annoy now that he could crawl, but Nami rather liked that. He was fast developing his own personal traits, becoming a real person in her eyes, and she loved that.

"What exactly _are_ you planning on wearing, anyway?" Cliff asked as the trio trailed back indoors.

Nami could understand the question given that she wasn't really famed for her bulging wardrobe and ever changing selection of outfits. As a fellow traveller, Cliff was in much the same boat as her.

She shrugged coyly and proceeded to struggle through the pair's scattered belongings. There were crumpled pieces of paper strewn all across the room - remnants of her recent bursts of creativity, which tended to fizzle out before they'd even begun. With all that had been going on lately and the frenzied wedding preparations, prolonged inspiration had been in short supply. Nami prefered to observe life, rather than being thrown headfirst into it.

"Well... Muffy ordered me something at the same time as she bought her dress," she explained, perching on the edge of her bed.

Cliff nodded absently, while trying to lean away from Dylan's grasping fingers. "That was nice of her," he said mildly.

"Yeah. Either that or she didn't want me looking scruffy on the wedding photos."

_"Oh."_ Cliff blinked expectantly, as though he knew something Nami didn't, leaving her totally bemused for a second. "So it'll be really posh, then?" he choked out eventually. "Like... a dress?"

A _dress!? _Good Goddess, she could have _kicked_ herself for not thinking of it sooner. A few days ago Muffy had presented her with a flat, rectangular box and she hadn't thought anything of it. Her interest hadn't been roused at all and so the box had ended up lanquishing beneath her bed. Now though, it was burning a metaphorical hole through her brain.

"So?" Cliff prompted, jogging her back to earth. "Will you be gracing us in a ball gown? Or prancing around in frills?"

Nami couldn't really answer that. For all she knew, it was true - although, there would be _no_ prancing under any circumstances. "It's, um... a surprise," she blurted out instead.

It all sounded rather teasing, she realised too late, and so it was hardly surprising that Cliff blushed beetroot and baby Dylan nearly had an unfortunate meeting with the floor.

"Careful, Cliff!" Nami scolded, knowing she was equally red-faced and pretending as though she didn't care. "Drop him, and Muffy'll never let you near him again. You know how over-protective she is."

"Um... yeah, right, sorry," Cliff stammered, making it to the door in one not-so-fluid movement. "We'll leave you to change, then. Er, right. I'll see you later. Bye then, love you, bye."

The door slammed shut. For a moment, Nami could only stare at it, too caught up in her own thoughts to do much else. At present, they were whirling. It wasn't that Cliff hadn't told her he loved her before. It wasn't that.

It was the casual slip into conversation - as though it was second nature to him now. Somehow, that was million times better than any over-blown romantic gesture ever could be. At least it was for her. Muffy wanted her lavish beach wedding, she simply wanted Cliff. Both ways were fine, but, speaking for herself, Nami... well, she couldn't be happier.

* * *

Later that afternoon, however, Nami could feel that particular frame of mind ebbing away, slowly but surely. Not because of Cliff, but because of what she had been forced to _wear_. Just as she suspected, Muffy had indeed ordered a dress for the wedding. It was a silky, powder blue affair, very nice, she supposed, but not very... her.

"Ooh!" Muffy squealed when she saw her. "It really brings out the colour of your eyes."

Nami rolled said eyes expressively. Quite obviously, she and Muffy were on a completely different wavelength when it came to matters of fashion. As far as she was concerned, her eyes _happened_ to be blue, the dress _happened_ to be blue, and that was that. And her reaction was simply a resounding, "So, what?". Muffy, on the other hand, seemed to see things she didn't and was brimming with girlish enthusiasm.

"It does actually suit you," Cliff interrupted quietly, ducking his head bashfully when Nami tried to meet his eyes. Contrary to what he might have expected, she actually threw him a tentative half-smile, conveying both her nerves and gratitude in that one expression.

"You should probably get going," she answered, nodding at him thankfully.

"Yeah," Muffy agreed. "It's nearly time; I can't believe it!" Dylan was nestled in Cliff's arms, ready to be escorted down to the beach, so she rocked forward on shiny heels to kiss him on the cheek. "Bye bye, honey. Now when you see your daddy down there, you make sure he doesn't run off or do anything stupid, okay? I know how he likes to freak out."

They all laughed at that, but as she joined in Nami felt a sudden, tiny jolt in the pit of her stomach. The fact that Muffy and Rock were about to become man and wife - the entire enormity of it all - came crashing down upon her with frightening speed. She found it startling the Muffy could be so calm at a time like this.

Only then, once Cliff had departed and left them standing alone in the upstairs corridor, did Nami truly look at her friend. Muffy grinned back, her cat-like green eyes glittering. And as Nami watched her friend looking radiant with excitement, her own problems - the ridiculously tight dress with its straps that wouldn't quite stay up - seemed rather insignificant by comparison.

"Sooo... what do think?" Muffy dared to ask, giving a demonstrative twirl. Her fluffy blonde curls bounced on her shoulder and the skirts of her ivory gown whipped around her ankles.

Nami let out a tensely held breath. "Great," she whispered. "Really great."

There was silence for a minute, the truly thoughtful and heavy kind - until Muffy broke it the most innappropriate way. She laughed. The first shriek sounded so much like tears that Nami feared she'd have a jilted groom and a small-town scandal on her hands. But no. It was laughter. And it was infectious. Within seconds they were giggling almost hysterically, though Nami wasn't quite sure why.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Muffy managed to choke out, once she'd calmed down a little.

Nami was about to say 'no' because she barely knew what _she_ was thinking, let alone Muffy, but suddenly something hit her. "That I can't believe you're actually about to marry Rock?" she ventured instead.

And just like that they were off again.

When there could only have been a few minutes until they _really_ needed to leave, Muffy pulled Nami into a brief hug. "Isn't this all so weird?" she muttered, leaning close to the whorls of her friend's ear. "I really can't believe I'm about to marry _Rock."_

Nami felt a familiar burst of laughter bubbling up her throat, but she hastily suppressed it and looked Muffy square in the face. "Well, sometimes life just likes to surprise you," she explained, surprising _herself_ with her own coherency. "Not always in a good way - " Flora's image wavered painfully before her eyes " - but that's just the way things are. And sometimes something wonderful can come from nothing."

"Like with you and Cliff?"

"Er, yeah, I guess." Nami squirmed at being put on the spot, but couldn't deny that it was now Cliff's face at the forefront of her mind.

Suddenly, a beaming Ruby appeared at the foot of the stairs. The two girls hitched a breath; it was finally time. "Ready?" she asked them, looking ever the proud mother and wearing, Nami noticed, what could only be described as an interesting hat.

Muffy couldn't seem to find the words to reply, though it didn't really matter. Her face said it all.

* * *

The beach was thriving. As she stared at the brightly clothed wedding guests, Nami found herself surprised by the eery beauty of it all. She'd never have imagined finding the wedding enjoyable - bearable, yes - yet there she was, greedily drinking in both the sunlight and the atmosphere, as Cliff loped alongside her.

They were circling the beach, post-vows, like wedding veterans. In reality, Cliff had only attented one ceremony before this, while Nami was completely new. She found herself oddly at ease, however.

There were tables dotted all along the shore, laden with Ruby's rich food, and accompanied by more chairs than could ever possibly be needed. Gustafa had come up trumps with another set of his techni-coloured lanterns and was currently strumming out a jaunty tune. Thankfully, the weather was nothing like it had been that night. This was different; calm, relaxed, peaceful...

Nami knew everyone. This was much to her surprise, as she'd pictured Muffy as the sort with various girly pals dotted all over the place, ready and waiting to flock to a possible wedding. As it transpired, she was wrong and the only guests at the ceremony were Valley regulars. Evidently, Muffy had no family worth inviting while everyone Rock cared about was right on his doorstep. It was the same for Cliff. And for Nami. For everyone in Forget-Me-Not, really.

It was that which had clicked into place for Nami as she watched Rock and Muffy exchanging vows beneath a floral arch of the bride's choosing. The sense of community spirit. The feeling of true belonging, which at first had been little more than a dream, but which was now very real.

Contentment, like she'd never experienced before, sank over Nami, as she and Cliff sat with the newlyweds at one of the many tables near the water's edge. The mingled sound of gentle waves and even gentler chatter washed over the group, calming even little Dylan as he struggled in his mother's arms.

Nami's eyes were inexplicably drawn to Rock. He was making faces for the amusement of his son, yet despite the apparent childishness of the activity, Nami was beginning to notice a change in him. It was childishness for the benefit of someone else - for his son. And Nami could not doubt that her friend, the same one who had once looked baffled by the idea of independence, would be equally efficient at proctecting the boy with his life, should the situation arise. She felt a very odd, yet very strong sense of pride for Rock.

"You'll never guess what Griffin gave us as a wedding present," Muffy began, startling them all back to life.

Nami's knowledge of Muffy's boss was limited at best, and she found herself shrugging. "What?"

An old-fashioned key, grubby and rusted with age, was thrown onto the table by the barmaid. While Nami only shot it a confused glance, Cliff's eyes lit up with excitement. "Not the _bar?"_ he breathed.

Muffy nodded eagerly. "I couldn't _believe_ it when he told me!" she enthused. "I mean, Griffin's been like a father to me since I moved to the Valley, but I never imagined he'd give us the bar to run. It's so weird to think it's all ours!"

They all smiled indulgently, but Nami, as she so often did, couldn't help focusing on a negative rather than a positive. Especially when it was as glaring as this one. "So is Griffin - is he leaving?" she asked, only to see Muffy's beaming-bride expression slip just a fraction.

She heaved a sigh and passed Dylan into Rock's waiting arms. "Yes, actually. Though I'm certain it's not an entirely permanent move. I think he just wants to travel about a bit. Most likely he'll be back on visits." Muffy paused briefly, her grin returning in full-force, before leaning eagerly towards Nami. "And Griffin's not the only one leaving, for that matter. I was _very_ surprised to learn who else'll be going at the same time as him."

"Oh?"

"Mmm," said Muffy with relish, "little Miss Lumina, no less."

Cliff face creased into a frown; he'd yet to meet Romana's rich grandaughter and was probably wondering who she was. He didn't have to wonder for long.

"Er, less of the Miss, please," chirped an airy voice behind them. They glanced around to see a caramel-haired, amber-eyed young woman standing nearby. Nami did something of a double-take when she clapped eyes on Lumina. Instead of her usual pastel dresses, she was wearing a comfy leather jacket with an old stachel slung over one shoulder. Her trademark yellow hairband appeared to have vanished.

"I'm off to a proper music school in the city," she explained, in answer to their curious looks.

Lumina's polished piano skills were well known around the Valley. "I'm sure your grandmother will be very proud," Nami told her.

The young musician merely laughed. "I doubt it," she remarked. Her eyes were glittering a mischevious gold, the exact colour of a hawk's whose prey is just within sight. "I'm not going to study as a pianist, actually."

"What _else_ do you play?" Muffy asked, perplexed, while Nami began to cotton on.

Her theory was swiftly proved correct when Lumina replied, "Guitar," that one word slipping delightfully from her lips. "I've been having lessons," she added, before melting back into the crowd and leaving the statement hanging there.

Silence prevailed for a minute, as Lumina's words were slowly digested. Cliff simply said, "Griffin plays guitar, doesn't he?" and the matter was dropped. If Nami thought that was to be the biggest shock of the day, though, she was very much incorrect.

"NAMI! Nami, guess what!"

Nami struggled not to cringe. Apparently, however mellow Robyn had become, her voice still remained reminiscent to a fog-horn. She bounced up to the table, dressed from head to toe in glimmering jade green, right down to the finer details of eyeshadow and nail varnish. "Lovely dress," she said to Nami, before giving a nod in Muffy's direction. "It was a delightful ceremony, by the way. Nice and quiet. Much like mine and Cody's was."

The absence of her towering husband was quite noticeable. "So where is he?" Nami wondered aloud.

"Oh, he's off discussing various forms of art with Gustafa. I couldn't listen to that all day!" She let out a racous burst of laughter that didn't seem to suit her dreamy new appearance. It made Nami wary. "_Anyway_," Robyn continued, "you'll be pleased to hear that Cody and I have a bit of a proposition for you two."

That made her even more wary. "F - for me and Nami, you mean?" Cliff stuttered. The pair shared a nervous glance. Being referred to as a couple - especially in such public circumstances - was something they were still getting used to.

Nami had an awful feeling she wasn't going to like Robyn's proposal - and she was right.

Cliff's answer was an instant 'yes', Nami's an instant 'no'. In unison, they turned to face each other. "We are _not_ taking over Robyn's farm," Nami ground out through gritted teeth.

"Why not?"

His flippant, care-free response left her floored. "Well... b - because - " There were _so_ many reasons why it was not a good idea, but none of them would form coherently on Nami's tongue.

"I think you should do it," Rock chipped in, returning to the conversation, in Nami's opinion, at the most irritating moment. "They're _giving_ the place away, after all. They don't need it and you two have no home. It's a great solution."

A surprisingly convincing argument from Rock? Nami was startled. In all honesty, she hadn't planned anything beyond their stay at the Inn. And, as much as she loved it there, they couldn't hog Ruby and Tim's rooms forever.

"And you wouldn't even have to run it as a farm," Robyn added eagerly, "you could just live there. All we have at the moment is an arthritic dog and an old goat called Mabel. You guys think about it, okay? Tell me if you're interested."

Once she was gone, Nami turned back to Cliff, whose eyes were firmly fixed on the table before him. She meant to radiate fury, but it didn't quite work out. Instead, she simply stared, nonplussed. Didn't he know how scary and utterly _different_ living together would be? Or maybe he did know. And maybe he didn't care. Maybe he loved her enough so that it didn't matter, it was worth the risk. _Loved_ her. It made Nami's head spin in a way she'd never experienced before, but suddenly couldn't imagine living without.

"It's not as though we haven't lived together before," Cliff whispered. "This would be like when we were travelling... only in one place."

"We should go for it," she decided abruptly, knowing that it might not work out exactly as planned and still enjoying that rare glimmer of uncertainty. "You're right; it's not as though we have anything to lose."

She smiled at Cliff and he grinned back at her. They were really going to do this.

The remainder of Rock and Muffy's wedding day flew by in blur of laughter and photographs. Not taken by a professional, as you might imagine, but by Rock and his apparently trusty camera. After being blinded by the flash for about the fourth time, Cliff concluded that he would sent one of the pictures of him and Nami off to Ann. "Just to let her know that I'm doing okay," he said, looking to Nami for confirmation.

She shrugged. "Fine, but make sure you pick one where I'm not smiling. It shouldn't be too difficult."

Soon after that, the beach began to clear as guests drifted back to their homes. The evening air was beautifully warm and so Nami and Cliff stayed behind to contemplate the huge decision they'd made earlier that day. "I can't believe we're going to have our own goat," was all Nami could think to say.

Cliff laughed at her. "Is that all you're worried about?" he asked jokingly. "We don't have to keep it, anyway. We can always sell."

"How cruel!" Nami lifted her head from where it had been resting on Cliff's shoulder. "We _couldn't_ do that to old Mabel..."

"We don't even _know_ Mabel..." he pointed out.

And that was how they ended their day, engaged in a bizarre argument about goats, rather than anything of real importance. Any issues regarding their new home were left unsaid for the time being.

Instead, they sat curled up together on the sand, engrossed in the stunning sunset that lit up the horizon. The start of a new Summer and the start of their new life.

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**A/N - **...Okay, this is weird - I just can't believe I'm so close to finishing! Just the Epilogue left to go now, people. I've got the final installment all planned out and it's probably not going to be as long as a normal chapter, so it shouldn't take me too long to get it posted. Of course, you never know... Anyway, thanks for reading and please leave a review if you have the time. Thank youu!!


	19. Epilogue

**Disclaimer -** I still don't own Harvest Moon. And never will.

**Author's note - **Well, here at long, _long _last is the conclusion of Tales. Apologies for the wait, everyone. It wouldn't have taken me quite this long if my computer was working properly, but there you go. It's done now and I hope you all enjoy it. A final thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed; your support really helped me finish this monster of a story. Thanks again, it means a lot!

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Epilogue

Cliff sighed in exasperation, knowing defeat when he saw it. "Fine, _fine,"_ he said, shaking his head pointedly. "I'll agree to calling it Star if it's a girl... but only if you let _me_ decide on the name for a boy."

His wife's eyes glittered a mischevious, icy blue. "What do you mean?" she asked, mock innocently. "We can call it Star whether it's a girl _or_ a boy."

"What!?"

"I'm kidding, I'm _kidding_..."

It was fair to say that Nami was enjoying the power she held as the pregnant woman in there relationship. She'd learned that Cliff was easily scared over important issues, such as names. In fact, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this was their first child they were expecting.

Nami shifted her blossoming weight awkwardly and, though she struggled enormously, managed to make room for Cliff on the arm of her chair. "Come and sit here a moment," she said to him, patting the worn out suede affectionately.

Their lounge was what Nami liked to refer to as an _artistic_ mess. That was probably an overly optimistic description, but she didn't care. It was her's - _their's,_ even - and that was what mattered most of all.

Nudging aside a dropped sketchpad with his foot, Cliff made his way through the assorted clutter to sit beside Nami.

She took his hand and laid it on her growing bump where the baby was kicking wildly. "Of course you can name a boy," she smiled, only for Cliff to let out an uncontrolled chuckle. "What? That's what you want, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It's just... _you._ I've obviously caught you in one of your rare good moods."

"Huh! There's nothing wrong with my moods!" Nami retorted indignantly - though they both knew this was a lie. While it was true that her mood swings were nowhere near as turbulent as they had been the last time, this pregnancy had hardly been a picnic, either. The last eight months had been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, but they both felt they'd coped a lot better this time around.

Nami sighed then shook her head. "I suppose you've got some ideas for a boy's name - "

"Err..."

" - or else you just want to stop me from picking another obscure one?" she suggested, one eyebrow raised calculatingly.

Cliff was forced to admit that it was the latter. Nami was a very perceptive woman and her being pregnant had no effect on that particular aspect of her personality. If anything, Cliff mused, her current condition seemed to heighten it.

"I don't know," he said thoughtfully, "but don't you think a more traditional name would be nice?"

It only took Nami a second to mull this idea over, before she rejected it completely. Where was the fun in _nice? _Nothing about their lives was as mundane as nice anymore - which was actually a bit of a surprise for her. In all honesty, she'd half-expected moving into the farm with Cliff to become a dull cycle of monotony. Deep down... well, she'd half-expected it to be the ruining factor in their relationship.

If anything it brought _more_ excitement into their lives than there had ever been before. Nami didn't know whether that was the challenge of marriage, or of parenthood, or of simply owning a badly behaved goat, but whatever it was, she'd found something every bit as unpredictable as travelling. And somehow she found she loved it far more.

From years of experience, Cliff had long since learned when Nami was scathing of one of his ideas. It wasn't as common an occurence as you might imagine, but it was often enough for him to know. He sighed, "Well, if not something traditional, then what?"

Nami shrugged. She didn't _really_ know either. Something innate and unreachable screamed to her that she was carrying another daughter and, for that reason alone, boy's names had evaded her completely. There was no evidence whatsoever that she was indeed expecting a girl - they had resisted asking Doctor Hardy to confirm anything - so it did make sense, she supposed, to plan for a son, too.

They would have to be quick about it, though. It had taken her the best part of six months to think up Star, and they only had a few weeks left. "Um... Caspian?" she suggested, blurting out the very first name that crept into her head.

Cliff's doubtful, "Errrm..." as he wandered over to the front door was basically a _no._ "I've got to water the crops, but we'll discuss this later, okay?" he said, opening the door wide and allowing summer sunshine to stream inside.

She nodded, adding, "Leave it open," when he went to shut the door behind him. The air was strangely cool and effortlessly relaxing for the time of year. Nami loved how it gently caressed her face, but loved even more the haunting sight of dust specks floating in the thin shaft of light. As her pregnancy left her increasingly house-bound, she was forced to draw inspiration from the little sights in life.

Once Cliff was gone, her mind drifted back to the ever perplexing matter of _names. _Hmm, _if not traditional, then_... _what!? _Well, Carter would certainly be a fitting choice, one that definitely made sense, but, for some reason, Nami just couldn't see it. She shook her head emphatically, as if arguing with herself. No, not Carter.

Rock had once jokingly suggested Rock Junior during Nami's first pregnancy. This baffling choice was in spite of the fact that Nami and Cliff had long since discovered that their first child was, in fact, a girl. When Nami suggested to Rock that he should name his _own_ child Rock Junior, he answered that Muffy refused to have another child. Apparently Dylan, now justly nicknamed the Whirlwind, was more than enough work on his own. Nami, who'd baby-sat on more than one occasion, was actually inclined to agree with that.

So definitely not Rock Junior, then. Which begged the question... _Cliff_ Junior? Oh no; she wasn't even going to _put_ that idea into Cliff's head.

Nami scanned the living room frantically, glancing from the mis-matched knitted rugs laid out across the floor to the wooden walls dotted so randomly with various paintings and sketches. She was searching for inspiration, for _anything,_ to just leap out at her. Nothing did. Their lounge, a product of creativity itself, had proved rather useless. In her desperation, she even shot their ancient television a wondering look, but eventually decided against turning it on. Neither she nor Cliff had owned one before moving in together, and it was fair to say that neither particularly liked Robyn's old set. They didn't take farming seriously enough to benefit from watching the weather and Nami only ever laughed at the ridiculousness of the shopping channel. Even little Flora, at the tender age of four, was scarcely interested in the limited amount of children's programmes on offer.

Speaking of which... Nami pushed herself upright and headed towards the open door. She hadn't seen her daughter since much earlier that morning when Hazel had called by and the two girls ran off to the beach or the woods or whether it was they enjoyed playing these days. It was difficult to keep up with their silly phases.

Sure enough, when she emerged onto the farmyard, both Flora and Hazel had returned and were busy pestering Cliff as he stood near the tiny vegetable patch beside the house. He was currently attempting to water their newly planted apple tree - Nami's latest fascination - with a rusty watering can, but kept stopping everytime the girls asked him a question.

Nami strolled over to the trio with some difficulty and in spite of her instense discomfort. She couldn't help smiling when Flora whipped around eargerly at the sound of her mother's approaching footsteps.

"Hey, Mommy!"

Flora's youthful face cracked into grin that was almost identical to Nami's. The little girl was like her mirror-image, in fact. They looked so similar that Nami often struggled to believe it. Flora's hair was a deep, russet red and would surely be skimming her shoulders by winter. Her eyes were just as wide and pale and blue as her mother's. There was nothing of Cliff to be seen in her appearance; from him, she had inherited only his calm, patient nature, something that couldn't be seen, but had a far bigger impact than hair colour. It was probably the best thing she could have taken from her father and Nami was very proud of that.

She grinned at the two curious girls. "Hello, you two," she said. "Bothering my poor husband I see?"

There was a faint metallic _clank_ and a swish of liquid as Cliff's watering can hit the floor; Nami rarely, if _ever,_ referred to him like that. The others spared his embarrassment by merely glancing at him and then carrying on with their conversation.

"Your bump looks like it's gonna _burst,"_ Hazel remarked mildly, with all the innocence of a five year-old.

"It may as well," Nami answered darkly, already anticipating the pain to come. Hazel's sharp, brown eyes, the perfect blend of both her parents', widened hugely. She was Robyn and Cody's daughter; their only child so far and Flora's best friend since they were small. They could not have been more different in both looks and personality - Hazel, with her sleek black hair and coffee-coloured skin, was the more outgoing of the pair - but they had been inseperable for years now.

The girls exchanged a curious look and were no doubt about to ask an embarrassing pregnancy related question, when Nami stepped in and diverted their attention. "I don't suppose you two can think of a boy's name for the new baby?" she asked.

"It's a boy? A _brother?" _Flora replied quickly, her voice a strange mix of both disappointment and fascination.

Cliff shook his head and said patiently, "Not definitely. It could be either. We just want to plan for both."

Flora started to pout. "But Mommy said - "

" - she was just _guessing," _Cliff explained, exasperated. "Don't you want a little brother, Flora?"

Her face contorted into a definite 'no' and Nami was forcibly reminded of another one of Flora's traits: the ability to sulk like hell whenever the situation called for it. It was a trait she had inherited from Nami, clearly, but one that didn't often surface from beneath a calm demeanor.

Before Flora could duck away, Nami reached out and ruffled her hair. "Look," she said softly, "whether I have a boy _or_ a girl, you'll still have a little brother or sister who needs someone to look out for them. You can do that, right?"

There was a pause as Flora considered this. Finally, a small smile crept onto her face. "Yeah," she agreed happily. "I think I can do that."

"Good girl," Nami told her encouragingly, catching Cliff's eye and grinning as she did so. After a brief moment, he turned back to his crops and she turned back to the girls. "Sooo... anyone got any good ideas for names?"

"Aaron," said Hazel promptly. Flora blinked at her - surprised, but also determined not to be outdone.

"Erm - Tom? Tommy?" their daughter suppiled hesitantly.

Soon, it descended into something of a competition with both girls firing out names, each more ridiculous than the next.

"Jamie!"

"Sonny!"

"Darwin!"

"_Panther!"_

Nami couldn't help laughing at that one. "I actually like the sound of Panther," she teased, enjoying the effect it had on her husband. Once again he was forced to pick up his dropped watering can,

"You've _got_ to be kidding?"

Nami would have loved to joke with him some more, but she wasn't that good an actress. "Yes, yes, I'm only joking." She shook her head at the two girls. "How on earth did you come up with that, Hazel?" she questioned.

Hazel only shrugged, "Well, it's just different, I suppose..." She was right there, thought Nami. Different. Hmm, maybe there was something to be said for a really unique name, after all. Star was hardly a traditional choice and she didn't _want_ anything traditional, did she?

No, she wanted something special, something _meaningful._ Meaningful for her and for Cliff, for the whole family. Now Star_, that _was a name that truly meant something to her. When she thought of stars, she saw wishes. Hopes. Dreams. She remembered clear summer nights beneath a blanket of twinkling, sparkling diamonds. She remembered one night in particular, the very first time she recognised Cliff as friend, a stranger no longer.

The name Flora was equally important to her. It evoked memories of friendship, however brief and fleeting. And thoughts of promise, too. Most of all it reminded her never to let anything so precious slip through her fingers again.

Nami's eyes wandered restlessly around the farmyard and the Valley which lay beyond. She drank everything in determinedly, as though it could crumble to pieces at any moment...

Suddenly, she heard distant voices growing closer by the minute. Very _familiar_ voices, actually. Nami glanced towards the farm entrance and back again. "Did I forget to mention that Rock and Muffy were coming over today?" she asked meekly.

"You may have done," Cliff said wryly. Finished with the crops at last, he put down the watering can and tiredly wiped the sweat from his brow.

With identical squeals of joy, Flora and Hazel tore off to greet their "bestest boy friend - but not like _that_ - in the whole world", Dylan. Cliff and Nami, though, lingered behind for a moment.

"Y'know," he began, moving slowly towards her. "Why don't we just wait? Let's wait until the baby's born before we name it. Fitting a name to somone we don't even know yet seems to be causing more problems than it should."

Nami blinked at her husband. _How_ did he do it? How did he manage to be so, _so_ rational? And not to mention completely right. It was almost inhuman, she decided. Yes, definitely.

After sighing resignedly, she cupped Cliff's face with her hands and pulled him towards her. Their kiss was slightly awkward due to her huge bump, but it was passionate as ever.

"I'll take that as a 'yes', then?" Cliff breathed when they eventually pulled apart.

"Yes," Nami assured him, and they wandered off to greet Muffy and Rock without another word.

Something told her that this wouldn't be the end of the discussions should she give birth to a baby boy. Even when the child was born, they were both bound to spot different traits in him. It was just the way they were. Well... perhaps Panther wasn't such a bad idea after all...

_In the end, it didn't matter. Their baby was born a week early on the 26th of Summer._

_Their little Star. _

The End

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**A/N - **Wow... it's finally over. I can't believe it. I'm really going to miss this fic, as relieved as I am to have finally finished it. Well, I hope you've all enjoyed reading it as much as I've loved writing it. Thanks to my reviewers; I've really valued your opinions. Thanks!!!


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